UFIT Fitness Articles

Those Crazy Free Radicals

One of the main arguments for taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement is that many of us simply don’t eat nutritiously on a consistent basis. But even if your diet is beyond reproach, there’s another good reason to take one: Exercise (particularly vigorous exercise).

While exercise is absolutely essential to good health, it can also be seen as a stressor capable of producing free radicals - substances that are potentially damaging to the body’s tissues. Since several vitamins and minerals help prevent free radicals from causing damage, a multi is a good idea.

Here’s an even simpler way to look at it: when we work out, our need for several vitamins and minerals increases. Taking a multivitamin to replace what’s expended during exercise makes logical sense.

May 22nd, 2006

Exercising Habit

Does exercising seems really hard? Are you able to do as much as you would like to do? Keep two important points in mind. First, exercise only gets easier and you’ll be able to do more and more as time goes on. Second, focus more on how many times you went to the gym during the first couple of weeks versus how much you’re doing. For many people simply getting into the habit of exercising several times a week is harder than the exercise itself.

May 15th, 2006

Scapular Imbalance

An imbalance of your scapular muscles (shoulder blade area) can produce problems in your shoulder area. These problems can lead to headaches and/or carpal tunnel syndrome. It is important to correct this imbalance as soon as possible. Workout your traps and lats.

May 7th, 2006

Manly Rye

New research found that, for men, eating rye bread could help lower high cholesterol. The study followed men and women with elevated cholesterol levels over 12 weeks. Subjects randomly ate rye and wheat breads as part of their usual diet for four weeks each, separated by four weeks when they didn’t eat either. After the rye bread consumption period, total cholesterol decreased by eight percent in the men but didn’t significantly change in the women, and no change for either after the wheat bread consumption period. The researchers conclude that rye bread is effective in reducing serum cholesterol concentrations in men with elevated levels. Of course, with any initial finding, more studies are needed to confirm these results. In the meantime, it can’t hurt to order your sandwich on rye - even if it doesn’t lower cholesterol, it’s still a healthy, high-fiber whole grain.

April 30th, 2006

Brain Power

Exercise works more than your muscles, it works your brain as well! Lots of people tell us they do some of their best thinking while exercising. Furthermore, researchers have found that when people exercise in the morning they tend to be more alert and productive in the hours that follow. So, if you are thinking about not exercising today, maybe its time to think again.

April 23rd, 2006

Add It Up

Don’t consider exercise an ‘all or nothing’ activity. Small bouts of exercise throughout the day add up! If you know you won’t be able to get to the gym or to fit your regular routine in, try doing just ten minutes of moderate activity three times that day. For example, a morning, afternoon, and evening walk will leave you with similar benefits to those that you would have gotten at the gym during a 30-minute workout.

April 16th, 2006

Be Conscious

Unconscious eating tends to lead to increased calorie consumption. Set time aside to eat your meals without watching the television, working on the computer, or reading a paper. This way you will savor and appreciate your foods, and also know when you have reached a healthy level of satiety - meaning you stop eating before you are stuffed.

April 10th, 2006

Don’t Yo-Yo

Don’t yo-yo diet. Starving the body by going on a crash diet may bring about weight loss in the short term but can lead to weight gain problems in the longer term. Those who constantly yo-yo diet may actually slow their metabolic rate down, which will result in your body becoming more efficient at storing energy, leading to weight gain rather than loss!

April 3rd, 2006

‘See’ Salt

It’s not hard to eat more salt than you should. The USDA-recommended daily amount of sodium is 2400mg, and a mere teaspoon of salt has a whopping 2300 grams! And it doesn’t matter if you don’t use the saltshaker. Most of us get an excess of sodium simply from the prepared foods and snacks we buy routinely.

So how can you cut down? Use less (or no) salt in cooking and forgoing the saltshaker are good starts. But to really make a dent, get into the habit of reading nutrition labels. Chances are you’ll discover there’s sodium in more foods - and in higher amounts - than you ever would have imagined.

March 27th, 2006

Finish Steady

Finishing a distance run by sprinting can be counter-productive to your training goals. Sure, it may be emotionally satisfying to end with a flourish, but you could be doing your body real harm.

When you suddenly stop exercising, blood tends to pool in your legs, and this puts strain on your cardiovascular system as it tries to maintain your blood pressure level. Dizziness, light-headedness and fainting can result. Individuals with heart abnormalities could even suffer heart failure.

March 20th, 2006

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