Feeling Under the Weather?

Feeling sickish? You're not alone.

Around this time of year, people commonly come down with respiratory viruses and diseases such as colds and sometimes more serious infections like influenza. For those who exercise regularly, this can create problems and be frustrating. Here are some tips on what to with your workout schedule/routine if you are sick.




Know how sick is too sick
If you have a fever, a sore throat and feel a serious decrease in energy, just take a break and lie down. Exercising with a respiratory infection or other disease can be disastrous and prolong your sickness. When you are ill, your body has a harder time distributing oxygen to muscles, which can prevent your body from a successful post-workout recovery. This will also add to the discomfort of being sick. Get plenty of rest if you are down with a fever and really feeling sick.

Be mindful of others
If you are contagiously ill and workout at a gym where there are other people, you risk spreading your infection to them. This is more of a common courtesy than anything. If you are sick with a contagious virus like the flu, stay away from the gym until you feel better.

Keep it light
If you decide to go out for a run or hit the gym, do not push yourself hard or do an intense workout. If you run, keep it at a jog or a light run pace. Keeping your blood moving while you are sick might actually make you feel better, which is a definite plus. What is light for you is up to your own judgment. You can go back to your normal routine once you feel better

Whatever you decide to do, if you are seriously ill, you should always seek medical treatment.


A healthy winter season to you from all of us at Element Fitness!



Want to know more? Read more!
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1775170/should_you_work_out_while_sick_pg2.html?cat=5
http://www.criticalbench.com/working-out-when-sick.htm
http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/exercising-when-sick

Workout Precautions

Working out can be a dangerous feat if not done correctly. You can hurt yourself in a number of ways, such as misusing a machine, pushing your body past its limits or not being properly equipped. Knowing what you’re doing and being prepared for your exercise can help you stay safe and avoid injuries.

To reduce risk of injury during your workout, there are some general precautions to take. Staying hydrated is essential for your body’s performance. Be sure to drink water before and during exercise to avoid dehydration and fatigue. It’s not just important to drink before exercise, but to eat as well. While it may not be good to eat right before exercising, it’s important to have something in your stomach to give you energy. Working out when hungry could reduce your stamina, making you feel weak and exhausted much more quickly. Eating around two hours before exercising is ideal.

Also be sure to have the proper equipment for your workout and to dress appropriately for your environment. Dress warm in cold temperatures to avoid getting sick and don’t overdress in warmer temperatures to avoid heat stress. Wearing proper shoes for exercising is important to absorb shock and reduce the chance of accidents. If your sneakers are getting old, get new ones. When you encounter a machine or workout equipment that you've never used before, read the instructions or ask someone how to use it, as mis-using them is potentially harmful.

It’s important to exercise properly as to not over-stress your body. Spending a couple of minutes warming up and cooling down can go a long way in injury prevention. Warming up before exercising serves to raise your body temperature and blood flow, increasing the flexibility of muscles and tendons and therefore helping avoid muscle tears and pulls. Cooling down is needed to bring your heart rate down steadily and pump blood to the heart. Failure to cool down will cause your blood to stay in your legs rather than return to the heart, causing dizziness, nausea and fatigue. Don’t push yourself. It’s wise to know your capabilities and work up gradually in the time and intensity of your workout. Stretching after a workout and keeping hydrated reduces the chance of cramping up.

Listen to your body. If you feel pain, weakness, light-headedness or any other signals of discomfort, don’t ignore it. Take a break and let yourself recover. Exercise is great for you, but pushing your body to do something it’s objecting against could lead to injuries that’ll harm more than help. Take precautions and be wary to stay safe and healthy during your exercise routine.

Best Wishes on your weight loss or healthy living journey from all of us at Element Fitness!

Want to know more? Read more!

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Exercise_injury_prevention

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/injuryprevention/a/safe-workouts.htm

http://k2.kirtland.cc.mi.us/~balbachl/wupcdwn.htm

The Facts about Pre-Workout Stretching

It’s been a long-time tradition to stretch before exercising. Though a number of people and institutions keep static stretching alive, it turns out that this practice yields results opposite of its intended purpose.

Stretching your muscles while your body is at rest makes your muscles feel overstretched, causing them to react by tightening up rather than loosening up. Static stretching is done to prevent injury and enhance performance during exercise, but it’s studies have shown that stretching before exercise does not decrease chances of injury but decreases muscle strength. Your muscles need to be warmed up in

order to stretch more easily, so attempting to stretch them while they’re at rest puts more strain and can risk pulling or tearing them. This isn’t to say that stretching should be abandoned altogether. It just isn’t the first thing you should do before beginning exercise.

Increasing the body’s temperature helps prepare your muscles for a workout. Warming up actually loosens your muscles and increases your respiratory rate and blood flow, readying your body for more intense physical activity. Spending 5-10 minutes doing a light aerobic exercise like walking, jogging, bicycling, rope jumping or easy swimming is a good way to accomplish this. With the increased blood flow transporting oxygen and nutrients to your warmed up muscles, stretching is now appropriate.

It’s best to stretch your body out after a workout while your muscles are warmer and easier/safer to stretch. Stretching your muscles out after a workout helps relieve soreness and reduces muscle tension.

Though it's counter-productive before warming up, stretching is still an important part of your exercise routine. It’s necessary for increasing flexibility and helps your blood circulate. Plus, it feels

great to stretch out your muscles after a good workout.

Wishing you a healthy and happy workout from all of us at Element Fitness!

Questions? Email us at: info@elementfitness.net

Wanna know more? Read more!:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36553174/ns/health-fitness/

- Why static stretching is counter productive.

http://stronglifts.com/5-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-do-static-stretches/

- More reasons why static stretching is counter-productive.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/stretching_benefits.asp

- Benefits of stretching.

http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/warm-up.php

- How to warm up.

http://www.stress-relief-exercises.com/warm-up-exercises.html

- Warming up and stretching after.

Hit a Weight Loss Plateau?

Even if you have found initial success in your weight-loss endeavors, being able to continue to lose weight can often prove a more difficult challenge.






Plateauing, a fitness term referring to periods where weight loss seems to stall despite diet and exercise, is commonplace among dieters. Should you hit a plateau, the first and arguably most important thing you should do is not lose hope. It is easy to understand how plateauing can shake one's drive and confidence, especially if it happens after seeing regular improvement.

But do not despair! There are ways to break through your plateau and continue down the mountain to your goal. The key is variety. As you lose weight, your body begins to adjust to everything from the foods you eat in general to the exercises you typically perform. If you stop seeing results while eating certain foods and working out in a certain way, no matter how healthy they are, it may be necessary to change up your routines.

First, you should really look at what you're eating. Start keeping a journal of your meals and see if there is anything that you are eating regularly that might be less healthy than you think. When eating out, even seemingly healthy meals like salads can be loaded with fat and calories. With all your meals recorded, try changing some of them. Surprise your body by replacing a serving of grains or sugary fruits with green vegetables. You may also find it helpful to change when you eat. Ideally, you should be having several small meals throughout the day to keep your metabolism running at its most efficient.

Another way to battle that big fat plateau is changing your workout routine. There is an important mantra that states that any activity that you do every day can be exercise, but don't rely on it. While even the smallest healthy changes like using the stairs instead of the elevator are helpful, ultimately they cannot be counted on as a full-on workout session. Keep your body guessing where the next sweat is coming from. If you like to use a treadmill, try a stationary bike. If you like to work out at a preset speed or intensity, try switching to an interval program. It may seem counter-intuitive to work out, even for one set, at a lower intensity than you're used to but that variation is what will free your body from the plateau.


Best Wishes on your weight loss journey from all of us at Element Fitness!




Wanna know more? Read more!:
For more advice about how to break out of a plateau, visit http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/expert.q.a/12/31/weight.loss.plateau/index.html?npt=NP1

New Year's Resolutions and Weight Loss Success!

The new year has come around again, marking the end of 2010 and start of 2011. Most Americans make a New Year’s resolution related to fitness, health and weight loss.



While the will usually starts strong, people tend to trail off from their goals, failing to stick to their exercise and fitness plans. Of course, you don’t want to be that person, so here’s some tips on how to successfully stay committed to your New Year’s fitness resolution.

Make a plan. A thought out, realistic, formulated plan is necessary to begin any exercise routine. Think about your schedule and find an optimal time for your workout. Designate that amount of time for exercise and be sure to keep it routine. If something comes up that changes your daily routine, find a new time to fit exercise into your schedule.

Remember that exercise comes in a variety of forms. You could get a gym membership, take up a new sport, look into martial arts, go jogging or simply work out at home. Think about which exercise you’d most enjoy and explore your options.

Find someone to be your workout buddy. It shouldn’t be too hard, considering that so many people have a similar New Year’s resolution. Having someone there to endure the exercise and, if you’re taking up classes, learn with you can really help you stick with your plans. They don’t only make working out a much more fun task; your workout buddy gives you a reason to go. Commit to this resolution together and be there to encourage and support each other’s efforts.

Set short-terms goals within your larger plan. When you achieve them, reward yourself. You’re working on your fitness and health for yourself. Occasionally rewarding yourself for your hard work helps you encourage yourself to stay dedicated by making steps to your final goal.

Happy New Year from all of us at Element Fitness!







Want to know more? Read more!
http://www.workoutsforyou.com/NY_article.htm
http://www.edietstar.com/articlestips/fitness.html
http://topnews.us/content/29501-sticking-new-years-fitness-resolution-important
http://www.tryingfitness.com/new-years-fitness-resolutions/