3 Fitness/Exercise Tips

Everyone gets in exercise ruts but now is the time to change how you have been exercising.  Just as physical and surgical medicine has changed over the last 10 years so have some concepts in the fitness world.  For example, a surgeon does not prescribe the same medications as he or she did 10 years ago or do a surgery the same way he or she had in the past.  We all advance as our knowledge base advances.  Here are a couple of tips to help bring your training or rehabilitation to the next level.

TRADE SLOW CARDIO FOR INTERVAL TRAINING – If you are looking to lose a couple pounds here or there with your cardio routine the goal is not to just run as far as you can hoping those calories will burn off.  Research has shown that “bursts of high-intensity effort pared with slower, recovery efforts”¹ have the potential to burn more calories.  Get the most bang for your buck.  20 minutes of interval training can burn the same amount of calories as an hour of slow paced running.

USE YOUR CORE DURING EVERY EXERCISE – If you have ever been to physical therapy at Hayashida and Associates Physical Therapy you will know the true meaning of core work.  We are not just talking about your “six-pack” but also muscles that surround your abdomen and control your trunk, stabilizing the spine.  You should activate these muscles before any activity or exercise.  This muscle activity could be graded based on what you are doing (i.e. lifting a 1 lb weight vs doing a squat with weight overhead).  This will help avoid injury and at the same time get a great workout for your midsection.  If you need help understanding how to do this you should visit your local physical therapist for ideas.

TRADE MACHINE EXERCISES FOR FREE WEIGHTS – If we were all machines and moved in a set path then machine exercises would make sense.  But each individual moves differently, has a different posture and needs focus in different areas.  If you use the fixed path of many machines you will increase your likelihood of injury.  It would be best to use dumbbells or medicine balls to build strength since these objects allow you to move in the way your specific body is meant to move.  Be sure to get your form looked at by a physical therapist though, to make sure you are moving in the correct patterns.

Listed here a just a couple of ways that you can improve your exercise regimen and/or get more out of your workouts.  We will include more tips in future blog posts.  Contact your local physical therapist if you have any fitness or rehabilitation questions.

Ref: http://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/553531-the-20-best-fitness-tips-of-all-time/

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