Fast Fitness

Section 1:

Assessing Physical Damage and Accepting the Importance of Exercise

Lifespan and Physical Appearance

The average life span is 80 years, give or take a few years.  The truth is, a significant number of people look and feel 80 before their time. They have: 

û  sagging dry skin

û  unsightly posture

û  an uneven and unsteady walk

û  aching joints

If their outward appearance is bad, imagine what the inside machinery is like.  Most likely, it’s even worse: 

û  clogged blood vessels

û  heart problems

û  mounds of sugar and fat parked in or around vital organs

û  Conditions such as diabetes, nervous tension, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease that are silently brewing.

If fitness authorities had it their way, they’d create legislation to make exercise mandatory as soon as a baby leaves the cradle, not during the teenage years when obesity is likely to strike. 

But fitness shouldn’t be associated with any age.  You can start at 10 or at 30 – even at 50 or 60. Fitness should not be seen as the cure for an illness you already have, but as preventative maintenance.

Assessing Your Fitness Level

Brad King and Dr. Michael Schmidt in “Bio Age, Ten Steps to a Younger You” have devised a questionnaire for assessing physical damage to a body as a result of no exercise.  We will borrow some of their guidelines:

Start with the question, “How do I look?” Do any of these answers apply to you? 

Ø  Am I overweight? Do I look like an apple or pear?

Ø  Do I have a spare tire?

Ø  Has my skin become excessively dry, almost paper-thin?

Next, ask: “How do I feel?”

Ø  Do my joints hurt before or after any physical exertion?

Ø  Am I constantly worried and anxious?

Ø  Do I feel tired and sluggish most of the time?

Ø  Do I suffer from mood swings?

Last question, “How am I doing?”

Is walking and climbing stairs difficult?

Ø  Do I have problems concentrating?

Ø  Is running impossible for me now?

Ø  Am I unable to sit straight, preferring to slouch or stoop my shoulders?

You’ve completed your basic assessment.  Note, however, that other exercise or fitness gurus will have their own parameters or indices for assessing your body’s overall state. 

Turning You into a Fitness Buff!

After going through the assessment phase, you’re probably experiencing a “rude awakening”. 

Slowly but Surely…

In fact “slowly but surely” was probably what motivated Denise Austin to come up with her popular one-minute exercises. She had two types of people in mind when she designed the one-minute movements: 

Uninitiated

People on the go

It’s a quickie society we live in; we want everything quick, especially exercise.

Benefits of Exercise

If you make exercise part of your day, Denise Austin believes you’ll already experience some noticeable benefits.  These include:

ü  Waking up in the morning feeling refreshed

ü  Walking with a gait

ü  Having energy left at the end of the day

ü  Feeling more optimistic about recreation

ü  Sleeping more soundly at night

More Benefits of Exercise

The benefits above are general.  Let’s examine the more specific benefits of exercise on specific parts of the body, as described by Goldberg and Elliot:

ü  Exercise prevents heart disease

The average ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) is about 4.5.  If this ratio doubles or reaches 7, you double your chances of developing coronary heart disease.  You reduce that risk by as much as 50% if your ratio is 3 or lower.

Stress Management

Stress is a misdemeanor waiting to happen. Stress will wear heavy on your nerves when it builds up, causing you to feel depressed. You may start to develop unnatural health issues that seem to have no justifiable cause for its development. This can lead to problems, which is why you want a guide to thriving on stress. You can avoid many problems by taking action instead of letting stress get you down.

How can I learn to be stress free?

In order to be stress free you have to work at it, it will not come to you over night. It takes time to train your brain to deal with stress. Stress is very bad for you so if you can learn to be stress free you will be better off in the long ran. There are many ways to train you brain to get rid of the stress.

What are some of the things I can do to train my brain to be stress free?

You have to decide what you may want to try first and see what will work for you.

Some people may like to read, which is good for you to be lose in times with a good book. Others like to just walk or even work out. Working out is a good way to get rid of stress so if your stressed you are doing something healthy for your body.

Stressors in Stress Management

Stressors are something that causes us to feel stressed. We get stressors build up from activities, experiences, or any situation that may cause stress. When we do not have sufficient foodstuff, water, or when we feel overworked, it causes stress to increase.

To learn how to manage stress, we must learn how to cope and reduce stressors. However, some of these stressors are encouraging. When you join in activities for example, you often have fun. Still, stress mounts. Therefore, after enjoying activities the best way to thrive on this positive stress is to relax. Relaxation comes from reclining and enjoying something that brings you happiness. For instance, you may relax by watching a healthy program on television, read a book, or just simply recline.

When you take time to relax you, reduce stress by lessening up the stressors. On the other hand, when you are stressed from lack of foodstuff, this is unhealthy stress. You have the willpower to take control however by accumulating resources. Instead of letting the stress wear you down, take action. Call resources in your area to see if you have options in getting foodstuff to feed your family. Family community centers, welfare programs and other resources can offer you link to managing your problem. This will help you reduce stress by slacking up on stressors.

You can also ask for help from family members, friends, etc when you do not have enough foodstuffs. Perhaps someone will lend you a hand until you receive your next check. Learn to rely on you however, rather than others. Start to think of ways to make extra income so that you and your family can survive. Perhaps you can reconsider your current job. If you do not get enough wages, think of your skills to find out what job you can apply for to increase your income.

Perhaps something in your past is haunting you. These stressors, you can minimize by taking action to conquer your ghosts. Learn to meditate and relax often. The strategies you learn will help you to bring your mind in harmony, which will reduce stress. Learn to accept what you cannot change. If you have emotional responses often because of some experiences in your past, practice some helpful therapeutic techniques to take control.

Try self-talk. Use this is a guide to Stress Managementby refocusing on what you need to do to accomplish your goals.

Some other stressors include bills, work, family, relationships, kids, school, etc. Consider each stressor when you are stress managementto accomplish blossoming into a new you.

If you stress bills, perhaps you can set up a budget that fits your income. If your problem emerges from your relationship, then maybe you need to review what changes you can make to make your relationship better. You cannot change someone else, but you can take steps to change you. Rather, you can change other people by making necessary changes to reform your conduct, which will encourage the ones you love also change their behaviors.

When you are stressing over children, learn to discover what your child needs to make him or her happy. Happy kids often bring you great rewards. Sometimes you just have to take time out to spend with your children to help them develop healthy behavior patterns to make your life easier.

If you are working, attending classes and sweating family and bills then learn some time management schemes to help you readapt to a new, healthier way of managing your tasks. Handle the larger tasks first, avoid procrastination, and seek support to thrive on stress and to control your life. 

Ping Golf

For over forty years, the Ping Company has been manufacturing golf equipment that is both innovative and practical for both the casual and professional golfer.  Since 1959, Ping Golf has been dedicated to one idea:  innovation and design can produce a set of golf clubs that maximize the enjoyment of the game for all.

Karsten Solheim invented his 1-A putter, manufactured in his garage.  He named it Ping for the sound it makes when it hits the ball.  Thus, a company was born.  Solheim was frustrated with his putting game as the putters of the era didn’t give him what he felt he needed in his short game.  Once the 1-A putter hit the general market, they became so popular, Solheim quit his job at General Electric and began Ping Golf.

Solheim decided not to stop at putters and developed a set of irons dubbed “69” which he considered to be a good golf score.  Solheim continued to experiment with the effects of good heel-toe weighting in his irons and also milled a cavity into the steel back of the irons for added forgiveness.  Ping golf was growing by leaps and bound in the golf industry.

In 1966, Ping golf experienced possibly the greatest even of their company’s history.  Solheim had an idea for a new putter.  After he finalized the design – originally sketched on the dust cover of a 78 rpm record, he needed a name for the club.  His wife suggested “answer” since it would give golfers an answer to their putting problems.  It was shortened to “Anser” to fit on the club itself.

The Ping Anser would go on to be the most influential putter in golf while setting the standard for what is considered to be the conventional putter.  It has racked up 500 professional golf wins making it the “winningest” putter in golf history.  The Anser had a cavity back low center of gravity that provided superior feel for golfers of all abilities.

Ping golf faced a major obstacle at the end of 1966 as the USGA outlawed all Ping putters other than the Answer for tournament and handicapped play.  This decision was made because the USGA felt the other Ping models had a special bend in the shaft under the grip that was thought to give players a special advantage in the putting stroke.

Of course, Ping survived and went on to become a premier manufacturer of golf equipment that is widely used on the professional tours as well as by amateurs all over the world.  Ping golf has proven to be one of the powerhouses when it comes to golf equipment and it will probably remain so for a long time.

Golf Grip

A good golf grip is essential to playing a good game of golf.  If you are gripping the club incorrectly or too hard, you will end up with shots that go places you don’t want them to go.  There is no one exact science to the golf grip, but there are three basic golf grips that golfers use today:

* The overlapping grip is the most common golf grip used.  It is used mostly by male golfers and those with strong wrists and forearms.  The little finger of the right hand lies on top of or overlaps the index finger on the left hand.

* The baseball grip is most commonly used by younger golfers, females, seniors, and those with weaker wrists and arms.  The index finger of the left hand and the little finger of the right hand meet but do not overlap or interlock.

* An interlocking grip will be used by golfers with shorter hands and fingers, those with thicker or chunkier palms, and golfers who have difficulty with the overlapping grip.  The index finger of the left hand and the little finger of the right hand overlap each other and interlock.
Here is the basic way to grip a golf club no matter which grip you use.  Start by holding the club directly in front of you with your right hand with the club head pointing away from you at about a 45 degree angle.

Next grip the club with your left hand. The club will be mainly in the palm across the pads at the base of the fingers. However, the club will lie across the first section of the index finger. The thumb will be positioned straight on top of the golf club shaft. Relative to the golf club, the thumb will be in the twelve o’clock position.

Now, with your right hand, grip the golf club just above your left hand with the fingers, not the palm, of your right hand. The thumb will be positioned slightly off to the left. Relative to the golf club, the thumb will be in an eleven o’clock position.

If you have gripped the golf club correctly, only the first two knuckles of your left hand will be visible. Also, your left thumb should be completely hidden under your right hand.  The index finger position of your right hand will look and feel like a gun trigger finger.
If your golf grip pressure is right, the club could almost be pulled out of your hands, but not quite.  A correct golf grip will make you feel as if you are holding the club mostly in the palm and last three fingers of your left hand. Regardless, both hands should hold the club with equal pressure.  A correct golf grip doesn’t guarantee a successful golf swing; however, a defective golf grip will almost always result in a failed golf swing.

What is Metabolism?

Some people think metabolism is a kind of organ, or a body part, that influences digestion. 

Actually, the metabolism isn’t a body part. 

Metabolism, is the process of transforming food (e.g. nutrients) into fuel (e.g. energy).  The body uses this energy to conduct a vast array of essential functions. 

In fact, your ability to read this page is driven by your metabolism. 

If you had no metabolism you wouldn’t be able to move. 

In fact, long before you realized that you couldn’t move a finger or lift your foot, your internal processes would have stopped, because the basic building blocks of life – circulating blood, transforming oxygen into carbon dioxide, expelling potentially lethal wastes through the kidneys and so on – all of these depend on metabolism. 

Although we think of our metabolism as a single function, it’s really a catch-all term for countless functions that are taking place inside the body.  Every second of every minute of every day of your life numerous chemical conversions are taking place through metabolism, or metabolic functioning. 

In a certain light, the metabolism has been referred to as a harmonizing process that manages to achieve two critical bodily functions that seem to be at odds with each other. 

Anabolism and Catabolism

Our bodies are continually creating more cells to replace dead or disfunctional cells.  For example, if you cut your finger, your body starts the process of creating skin cells to clot the blood and start the healing process instantly. This creation process is a metabolic response, and is called anabolism.

On the other hand, there is the exact opposite activity taking place in other parts of the body.  Instead of building cells and tissue the body is breaking down energy so the body can function. 

For example, as you exercise, your body temperature rises and your heart beat increases.  As this happens, your body requires more oxygen, so your breathing increases.  If your body couldn’t adjust to this enhanced requirement for oxygen, you would collapse. And all of this requires additional energy. 

Presuming that you aren’t overdoing it, your body will begin converting food into energy in a metabolic process called catabolism.

Your metabolism is a constant process that works in two seemingly opposite ways: anabolism uses energy to create cells, and catabolism breaks down cells to create energy. 

The metabolism is a harmonizer. It brings together two seemingly opposite functions, and does so in an optimal way that enables the body to create cells as needed, and break them down, again as needed.

 

Metabolism and Weight Loss

Calories

Calories are simply units of measure, not actual things.  They are labels like an inch which really isn’t anything, but it measures the distance between two points. 

So what do calories measure? 

Energy.

Your body creates energy from the food you eat, whether it's healthy food or not. It creates energy from fruits and vegetables using the same process that it uses to create energy from chocolate bars and candy.

While you know it's better for your body to get energy from fruit and vegetables, your body doesn't evaluate the food. It creates energy from whatever you feed it.

It sounds strange, but the body really doesn’t care.  To the body, energy is energy.  It takes whatever it gets, and doesn’t really know that some foods are healthier than others.  It’s kind of like a garbage disposal: it takes what you put down it, whether it should go down or not.

So let’s apply this to the body, and to weight gain.  When the body receives a calorie it must do something with that energy.  If a carrot delivers 100 calories to the body, it has to accept those 100 calories.  The same goes for 200 calories from chocolate bars and candy. 

The body does one of two things to the energy, it either metabolizes it via anabolism, or it metabolizes it via catabolism.  That is, it will either convert the energy (calories) into cells/tissue, or it will use that energy (calories) to break down cells.

When there is an excess of energy, and the body can’t use this energy to deal with any needs at the time, it will be forced to create cells with that extra energy.  It has to. 

It doesn’t necessarily want to, but after figuring out that the energy can’t be used to do anything (such as help you exercise or digest some food), it has to turn it into cells through anabolism. 

And those extra cells?  Yup, you guessed it: added weight.

In a nutshell, the whole calorie/metabolism/weight gain thing is really just about excess energy.  When there are too many calories in the body, they are transformed into fat. 

Sometimes those extra calories are transformed into muscle. In fact, muscles require calories to maintain their mass, so people with strong muscle tone burn calories without actually doing anything; their metabolism burns it for them. 

This is the primary reason why exercising and building lean muscle is part of an overall program to boost your metabolism. The more lean muscle you have, the more places excess calories can go before they’re turned into fat.

A Final Word About Fat

There’s a nasty rumor floating around that fat cells are permanent.  Unfortunately, the rumor is true. Most experts agree that once fat cells have been created, they're permanent.  But this doesn’t spell doom and gloom for those of us who could stand to drop a few pounds. Even though experts believe that fat cells are permanent, they also agree that fat cells can be shrunk.  So even if the number of fat cells in your body remains the same, their size, appearance and percentage of your overall weight, can be reduced.

Aging Well

Healthy aging is accomplished by taking steps to better you. When you take steps to better you, you take measures to reverse aging. Aging starts at what time, we are born. Aging continue throughout our life. According to experts, none of us can state when our body ages, since after our young adult stage the bodily functions begin to decline. Our body cells slow along with other bodily functions. To slow the aging process we must eat right, associate, take vitamins, exercise, enjoy herbs and organic dishes and so on. We must also find support. Support should enjoy caring people willing to listen to you when you need a friend to talk over your feelings.

For these reasons, in this report we will discuss the aging process, normal processes of aging, victorious healthy aging, disease, longevity, bodily changes, and so on. We will also discuss implications in the aging process, misunderstandings, examples, and more throughout this report. In addition, we will take the time to help you find ways to reduce or slow the aging process so that you can live a long and healthier life.

The one thing you will need to consider first is your heart. The heart is our life force that helps control our emotions, thoughts, actions and so on. The heart requires healthy substances and chemicals to survive. Let’s see how the heart can benefit from exercise, support and more.

As we grow older we, experience higher risks of heart disease, cholesterol increase, weaken joints, muscles, and so on. Most people who experience illnesses often feel frustrated and experience feelings of despair. People who suffer illnesses or tragedies unfortunately set themselves up, saying, “It can’t happen to me.” It can happen to any of us, which is why we should take the steps in our youth to prevent illnesses and tragedies.

Many of us fail to take the steps in our youth. It hinders us to a large degree, yet we have options regardless of what we endure.

According to experts in aging and heart disease is rising higher these days than ever. The aging progression alone slowly builds up through impulsive changes of the body and mind. The maturity phase carries on starting at childhood as the person works through puberty, teenage and so on. At this time the body and minds starts to decline. As the person reaches mid-age or moves into advanced aging, the person starts to decline its natural physical functions.

Aging alone starts as we are born and carries throughout our life. Through the process, the body has positive reflections on our bodily components and development, yet as we age negative effects take fold, which include the declining phase.

According to experts in medicine, no one can determine when our body becomes aged. At one time people 65 and older where considered the aged, yet today people are working further on than 65 years of age. In short, people are working in the 70s, 80s and even 90 years of age today, which returned a different view on the aged.

Still, millions of American citizens are falling victim to heart disease, strokes, etc. What can they do?

How to relieve emotional strikes after a heart attack:

If you’ve experienced a heart attack, likely you feel frustrated, hopeless, etc. The emotions are common after any illnesses, yet you must take steps to control these negative emotions, since it only causes stress on your body. The stress will wear you down and perhaps lead to another heart attack. Let’s stop it now. After illnesses, including heart attack learn to focus on the day, instead of yesterday and tomorrow. You only have control of each day you live. Instead of sweating weeks ahead, try doing something you enjoy. Walking is a great way to reduce the risks of heart attacks. You can also visit friends or family members that make you feel good about you.

Support is essential. If you have support, you will have friends and family members who will open their minds to your feelings. You should never allow your feelings to linger in your own mind without expressing what you feel. Express your feelings to people you trust. Take time to listen to them and let these people know what you need.

For instance, if you just need a friendly ear, then let them know. Holding back emotions leads to soaring complications.

If you can find support groups in your area that is experiencing the same thing as you, then join the team. The support will help you to share information with people who understand what you are going through. It is frustrating to express feelings with people who have not experienced similar illnesses or experiences as you. Try to find someone that you can relate to and speak your feelings.

Exercise:

Exercise is the leading element we have offered to us in life that helps to reduce any disease, emotional reactions and so on. When you sit around feeling anxious, depressed, or despaired, you are working toward worse health conditions. Reverse your actions and take the steps to live longer by exercising each day. In addition to exercise, we must visit our doctor regularly.