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Physical Activity: The Great Health Facilitator

By gettingactive on Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 | No Comments

Physical Activity: The Great Health Facilitator

“Opportunities are usually disguised…so most people don’t recognize them.” – Ann Landers
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao-tzu

Physical activity is the best first step to health. It is the most direct way for you to discover, or rediscover, the wonder of your body. It allows you to experience vitality and provides an immediate sense of control of your body’s health and well-being. In addition to having its own inherent benefits, physical activity is a great physical and mental health facilitator, and wonderfully regenerative. Your senses come alive and are attuned more delicately when you engage in regular physical activity.

There is good news about actually doing physical activity. Research has shown that one can obtain its major health benefits with a minimum amount of effort and a minimum amount of time. The old myth of “no pain, no gain” and of long-distance jogging as the only way to achieve meaningful health results have been put into perspective. The evidence is clear: you can enjoy the benefits of physical activity with the equivalent of walking a half an hour a day, four or five days a week.

The Institute for Aerobics Research in Texas evaluated the fitness levels of more than 3,000 people and followed their progress for eight years. While the sedentary did have a mortality substantially higher than the more fit, the principal benefits of physical activity came even after very little physical activity. Those who simply walked an average of 30 minutes a day decreased their risk of heart disease by almost half.

The American Heart Association has stated that a sedentary life-style is a risk factor for heart disease comparable to smoking, cholesterol abnormalities, and high blood pressure. It also pointed out that low-intensity physical activity, performed regularly, can lower the risk of heart disease.

Any physical exercise is better than none! Housework, gardening, shuffleboard–anything that causes us to move–is beneficial. And, the benefits are not limited to heart disease alone. Physical exercise reduces stress, improves eating habits and weight control, increases good (HDL) cholesterol, and decreases triglyceride levels.

When beginning an exercise program, choose an activity that you think will be fun. Try walking, cycling or doing aerobics with a friend, a family member or as part of a class. The company may reinforce your commitment. If exercise is new for you, begin slowly, and keep in mind that there are a host of activities that you can try.
And, for those of you who have been sedentary most of your lives, the good news is that you have the most to gain from even the simplest physical activities. Gradually work them into your daily life. Start with small, comfortable activities, for instance:
(1) Walking to your destination whenever feasible
(2) Taking the stairs rather than relying exclusively on elevators and escalators
(3) Doing more physical tasks around the house or yard.
(4) Strolling around the block, around your neighborhood, in the park, at the mall. Keep your activity comfortable, keep it easy, and above all, keep it a part of your life.

Richard Helfant, MD, a Harvard-trained cardiologist. Courageous Confrontations, Dr. Helfant’s latest work, is about how to use the mind-body relationship to combat disease, thus bridging the gap between conventional and alternative medicine.

Increased Physical Activity for Those Who Work in Shifts

By gettingactive on Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 | No Comments

Increased Physical Activity for Those Who Work in Shifts

Physical activity has always been linked to improved health and longer lifespan. It can boost the performance of your heart and lungs and defeat stress as well. More importantly, being active will help you maintain an ideal weight and bring you a more positive outlook in life.

But how can you enjoy the benefits of an increased physical activity if you work in shifts? Regular exercise and other activities rely on routines; after all, these are habits that you need to build over time. More often than not, you will have less amounts of sleep and you will have a hard time squeezing physical activities in a work schedule that keeps on changing.

So if you work in an ever changing schedule exercising and other forms of physical activities will be likely placed on the back burner. Still, the benefits of increased movement are so important for your health that you can not afford to just ignore them. The good news is that there are ways to add physical activity into your life without disrupting your already erratic work schedule; and the only requirement is for you to be a little bit more creative.

Physical Activity And Ordinary Household Chores

Working in shifts can definitely make it hard for you to insert physical activity into the picture. But sure enough, you still need to perform ordinary household chores like taking out the trash or going to the nearby grocery store. Well then, you can insert exercise and put in more action into your ordinary household chores.

Do some stretching and a dozen of pushups on your lawn right after you’re done with the garbage. And instead of taking your car, you can always walk on your way to the 24-hour grocery. Walking the dog can also be a good way to exercise your leg muscles. Always think of ways to incorporate physical activity into your shifting work setup and you will reap the benefits that regular nine-to-five guys get when they go to the gym.

Exercise During Graveyard Shifts

If you work on shifts, you are sure to hit the graveyard schedule, if not always then at least occasionally. Well, some employees find graveyard shifts to be boring. If you have not experienced it yet, just ask the night guard in your building and he will tell you why. One thing is for sure, it will not be called a graveyard shift if it was fun!

If you are working during unholy hours, chances are, there are not much people around you. So instead of singing to yourself or stealing some time from your company, why not inject some exercise routines while doing your job? If you can not exercise during your official work hours, you can always put more action during your breaks. You will definitely stay awake and be healthier.

Organize A Fitness Or Sports Group

Unless you are a grave digger, you are probably not alone in your work. Whether you are working in the wee hours of the morning or during irregular hours of the day, you will always be in a company of other employees, maybe not in the same department as you are. What you can do is form a fitness or sports group so that you will not be alone at increasing physical activity; after all, your co-workers have the same health needs as you.

A graveyard brisk walking club, a noontime badminton society, or even a 3AM yoga class can help you put the physical activity that you need even if you have a daily schedule that is different from the rest of the world.

When it comes to fitness and physical activity, fluid movements are essential. Make sure that you do not experience pain in your body, particularly in your joints. Ensure the health of your joints by using products like Flexcerin. Visit http://www.flexcerin.com/ for more details.

Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine http://www.thearticleinsiders.com.

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Motivating People to Be Physically Active – 2nd Edition (Physical Activity Intervention Series)

By gettingactive on Saturday, May 15th, 2010 | No Comments

Motivating People to Be Physically Active – 2nd Edition (Physical Activity Intervention Series)

Motivating People to Be Physically Active, Second Edition, translates research, theories, and concepts of behavioral science into a useful handbook for health professionals involved in the planning, development, implementation, or evaluation of physical activity promotion programs. The book describes proven methods for helping people overcome sedentary behavior and make physical activity a regular part of their lives. Based on the five-stage model of motivational readiness for change, this co

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Getting Active In the Åland Islands

By gettingactive on Thursday, May 13th, 2010 | No Comments

On a Baltic cruise this year? If you’re lucky, your ship stops in the Åland Islands in the port of Mariehamn. In this video we talk with Annica Jansson, managing director of the Åland Tourism Board, about her favorite way to experience the Åland Islands.

Anglia News 17/3/10 Essex Southend Getting Active Athletics day. Sports Football Ipswich Town V Watford , Peterborough V Doncaster Ipswich Regent St. Patrick’s Day Irish Dancing River Dance.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Getting Kids Physically Active

By gettingactive on Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 | No Comments

www.AthleticFoundations.com David Kittner, A Youth Fitness and Athletic Development Specialist with Athletic Foundations in Brampton, Ontario, promotes physical activity and youth fitness with children at The Maples Independent Country in Orangeville at the launch of their At My Best Program.
Video Rating: 0 / 5

Fun Children's Activities – Parachute Games.

By gettingactive on Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 | No Comments

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A Startling Fact About the Benefit of Physical Activity

By gettingactive on Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 | No Comments

A Startling Fact About the Benefit of Physical Activity

How do you invest the least amount of time, and witness the greatest benefit of physical fitness? The answer to this question just might surprise you.

Most individuals are unclear of how powerful exercise really is. Too many people concentrate on all the work that goes into being physically active, and fail to pay attention to the benefits of exercise.

The benefit you reap from physical fitness programs far out weighs any investment of exercise time. As a matter of fact, the benefit of physical fitness can be realized with only a few short minutes each day of physical activity. It really does not take much time before you witness fitness results.

After realizing what a small amount of exercise can actually do for you, I am sure you will quickly put on your workout gear and become active.

So how exactly can you benefit from a regular, consistent, time efficient physical fitness program?

To realize how powerful staying active is you must know exactly how important the benefit of physical fitness really is.

Both your mind and body are positively affected by consistent physical exercise. First off, regular exercise can decrease your body fat, decrease your risk for heart disease, decrease blood pressure, and cholesterol. Secondly, your muscle strength and endurance will increase with regular bouts of physical activity.

As far as your mind is concerned, consistent exercise can decrease depression, and increase your self esteem. Thoughts of complete wellbeing can result from physical activity.

As mentioned, increasing self esteem is another reason why physical fitness programs are so crucial. Want to improve how you feel about yourself? Become more active, and reward yourself with the benefits of physical fitness.

As you can see, the benefit of physical fitness is surely powerful.

You are probably wondering if it is necessary to spend 5 hours a week on physical exercise. The answer is absolutely no. Even small amounts of exercise each day will enable your to see physical benefits. In other words, no hanging around all day in gyms is necessary for maintaining a physical fitness routine.

In order to reap the benefits of physical fitness all you really need to do is spend less than 1 hour a week being active. Break it down into 10-15 doable minutes each day. You can even break it down into 5 minutes in the morning, and 5 at lunch. Now 10 minutes out of your day for the benefit of physical fitness is worth is, isn’t it?

The key is to stay consistent. Some activities that will keep you physically active are housework, walking, gardening, biking, weight training, playing ball with the kids, and even parking at the furthest part of the parking lot.

You can always start easy, and stay consistent. Consistency delivers results!

For those who do not realize the benefit of physical fitness, read closely. For as little as 60 minutes a week, you will do your health, fitness, and quality of life tremendous benefit.

The benefit of physical fitness is absolutely overwhelming. Therefore, the small amount of time it takes to do is a drop in the bucket compared to what your will receive. Do yourself a huge health favor, and get on the best fitness program.

Despite common knowledge that exercise is healthful, many American adults are not regularly active, and some are not active at all. Catherine Waters of the UCSF School of Nursing explores measures that can be taken to not only live longer but also live better by being physically active. Series: UCSF Mini Medical School for the Public [7/2008] [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 14534]
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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Site Revamp and re-structure

By gettingactive on Monday, March 15th, 2010 | No Comments

we are currently revamping the whole site with a new theme and also the structure of the site after feedback from you all ref site navigation being akward, the site links will be expanded over the coming weeks to focus on the topics you have requested and that topic will be within its own blog allowing for easier reading of the topics you are interested in; rather than sifting through the posts youre not interested in; as it is in its current format

all being well this should go smoothly and quickly and dont worry all posts will be re-assigned to their own catagory so nothing should be lost (we hope)

thank you for your patience whilst this is carried out

TeamM

How you can Drop Your Belly Fats, Get Fit All Over

By gettingactive on Monday, March 8th, 2010 | No Comments

How you can Drop Your Belly Fats Get Fit All Over

Are washboard abs your dream? Do you want a flat, firm stomach? This article will examine how you can lose your belly excess fat.Click Here for Fat loss

It is advisable to realize that your stomach could be the first region where you’ll see large amounts of fats accumulate and it is the last region where you will shed it. That’s why you can sometimes see otherwise fit men and women with a little bit of a pouch. Even people who go to the gym on a regular basis and mostly eat appropriate is usually concerned with their stomachs mainly because every mistake is written there. How to drop your belly fats starts with the concept that you’ve got to be in pretty great shape to start with.

If you are 50 pounds over pounds, you shouldn’t be concerned with how you can shed your stomach fats correct now. Your present concern is losing the additional weight. A general combination of diet and cardio and strength training physical exercises is what you wish to focus on.

If you’re at your ideal weight or weigh 5 pounds a lot more, then you’ll be able to begin worrying about tips on how to reduce your belly weight. At this point, you have a very good chance of genuinely tackling the difficulty.Click Here for Fat loss

Most people advocate sit ups or crunches to take off this last little bit. Indeed, at times “belly fat” isn’t unwanted weight at all but untoned muscles.

If you ever do have stomach fats, a step up from sit ups and crunches is using a stability ball. Scientists at Sacramento State University in California took muscle fiber samples from people who often did crunches and those who regularly employed a stability ball and found that the ball users had twice the muscle fiber. This $30 piece of equipment that you’ll be able to buy at a sporting goods store is well worth the investment.

Next, contemplate workout routines that bring your legs level to or above your waist. Numerous individuals have discovered that kickboxing is an superb activity to give them flat stomachs. Not only are you getting a excellent cardio workout with kickboxing, but you will be also moving your legs above your waist line. This is important, simply because it works out the muscles in your lower tummy.

Dancing is also an activity that may help you get the perfect stomach. All kinds of dancing are excellent, but (and this one is mostly for the ladies), stomach dancing specifically targets the muscles in that region. Join a stomach dancing class at the local community center or just get video tapes that show you the best way to do it.

Don’t rely solely on cardio kind activities though. You need to be building your muscle mass. Remember that muscle burns fat and when you have far more muscle, you happen to be burning unwanted weight all day long not just when you work out.

Several persons focus on their stomachs as a sore point when they are genuinely overweight all over. For them, I say “get in shape.” Only then will you lose the tummy unwanted weight.

But, should you be fit, losing the tummy could be the result of doing specific workout routines that target the trouble region.

And, that’s tips on how to lose your stomach fat.Click Here for Fat loss

How To Shed Belly fat Following Pregnancy

By gettingactive on Monday, March 8th, 2010 | No Comments

How To Shed Belly fat Following Pregnancy

After you have a child, you may possibly want to shed baby stomach fats. Soon after you recover from your pregnancy and delivery, getting back in shape takes focus and determination. But you possibly can shed the pregnancy pounds quickly should you follow this simple prepare. This plan incorporates strength training employing a stability ball, high intensity cardio, and a modified diet plan system. In just two weeks, it is possible to drop infant belly weight.Click Here for Fat loss

First, to shed infant belly weight, you need to have to purchase a stability ball. These retail for about $30 in a sporting goods store. Most women will want a 22 inch ball. In case you are under 5’1, purchase the 18 inch and if you are over 5’8, go for the 26 incher.

A study at Sacramento State University found that men and women who utilized stability balls to reduce belly fat had developed twice the number of muscle fibers as those who did normal crunches. As you possibly can see, this will assist you lose baby tummy unwanted fat quickly, so you’ll want to obtain one.

There will be a number of exercises in the manual that comes with the stability ball, but I would like to feature a couple here that are particularly helpful when you desire to reduce baby stomach fat.Click Here for Fat loss

The first may be the reverse crunch. Lying on your back, press your legs into the ball and lift it 3 to 6 inches off the floor. Hold it for one second, lower and repeat.

The second may be the rock and roll. Get in your knees and put your elbows on the ball. Then lift your body until you’re on your own tippy toes at a 45 degree angle to the floor. Hold this position for one second, relax, and repeat.

Cardio is essential in this prepare as well. Attempt to get a 45 minute heart healthy workout at least 3 times a week to drop infant stomach unwanted fat. This can contain swift walking, jogging, cycling, or employing any cardio machine at the gym.

The final component is to modify your eating habits. Try to eat 500 calories less than what you would need to have to sustain your weight. For instance, a 5’4 140 pound active 28 year old woman would require 2400 calories to sustain her weight. She need to have a diet plan of just 1900 calories for the two weeks she is on this system.

Finding methods to lessen calories for a short period of time is really easier than you might imagine. For instance, making your latte with skim rather than whole milk saves 120 calories. You possibly can live with that for two weeks, can’t you? Other swaps contain eating air popped popcorn instead of potato chips (saves 95 calories) and substituting ½ cup of sliced strawberries and ½ cup weight free vanilla yogurt for your traditional “fruit about the bottom” yogurt cup (saves 105 calories). Make 4 to 5 of these substitutions a day and you’re on your way to drop baby stomach unwanted fat.

When you’ve a new child in the house, it could be hard to locate the time and energy to put into a new exercise and diet plan system. But, if you ever truly need to reduce belly excess fat, you’ll be able to follow this routine and be back in shape in just 2 weeks.Click Here for Fat loss

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