Fitness advice for a healthier lifestyle

 

Last updated 11/17/2010 at Noon

I am going to say it to start off with, however you already know it anyway. If your stomach is snug in your shirt, if your feet are difficult to see because of your stomach, if you look in the mirror and see fat, you are not in good physical condition.

In addition you are not in very good health. Sorry, it doesn’t matter that you believe you feel fine and passed your physical last year, your health can still be suffering. The extra weight you are carrying in your stomach places undo pressure and strain on you lower back and this can create lower back pain. This can additionally extend up into other areas of your back and be a contributing factor to muscle cramps, knots, stiffness, etc.

If you have doubts about the impact that this may have on your back, try this experiment. Pick up something that weighs no less then 25 Lbs in both hands. Now with your arms half extended to the front of you chest high, hold the weight for 60 seconds and do not put it down for that time. This was very difficult to accomplish if you did accomplish it, and physically stressful. Now imagine the constant stress placed upon your back 24 hours a day 7 days a week with this extra weight. And chances are you are carrying more then 25 lbs of overhang at your waist.

This extra weight can also contribute to type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can be reversible thru diet and exercise.

The extra weight places undo stress on your heart. The heart is a muscle that doesn’t grow like a bicep.

The more usage it gets doesn’t improve it, just strains it.

If you are overweight something has to supply life substance to the extra fat areas.

That life sustaining substance is blood.

The normal amount of blood contained in a healthy fit body is not enough of a supply.

It becomes necessary for the body to produce more blood to reach those areas.

Additionally this greater distance the extra blood travels requires more blood vessels, which the body manufactures.

An overweight person has more blood traveling thru a greater distance of blood vessels then ones who are not overweight.

This creates extra stress upon the heart to accomplish this task.

This can lead to blood pressure problems as well.

Many people that are overweight do have high blood pressure as well as high cholesterol. Both of these are usually fixable thru diet and exercise.

You may also be slender and in poor physical condition. A weak muscle structure, a less then optimal cardio structuring, etc could place you in that category. In addition there is a condition called slender obese. Slender obese is an individual that’s smaller size and not obese as we generally look at obese as being a very large person, but with looser fat on their body and limited muscle structure. I have measured people at 5’4’ tall and 130 lbs that provided a reading of 37% Body Fat Index.

In addition you may slender and appear to be in perfect health and lose your breath climbing a set of stairs or walking down the street. You attribute this to “Well, I am not 20 years old anymore.”

Perhaps your not 20 years old anymore, however that’s not an excuse to slowly kill yourself. If you can’t perform 20 pushups, 50 jumping jacks and 1 chin-up or 2, 20 crunches, you aren’t in good health.

Please don’t shoot the messenger here. All I am doing is relaying information, but my true goal and hope and desire is that thru all of the information that I publish to the public, some of it will answer a question lurking in background and be the stimulus for you to move forward with the decision to begin a healthier lifestyle today, not tomorrow of which never comes.

The benefits providing fit health with a small amount of effort is increased energy, spending more and better quality time with your kids and grandkids, better work production, less stress, less trips to the doctor, sleep better, wake up better to mention just a few.

Three hours a week is all that’s necessary. This additional exercise can be broken up into 6 increments. It really is not that much time out of your life for health. It can even be done while you are watching T.V.

It is not mandatory for a gym membership to begin. You may do it simply by starting to walk after work, purchasing an elastic workout band for $8.00 at the discount store and performing the exercises that are provided with it, and cutting back a bit on the portions of food you eat.

Of course you may join a gym. The great thing about a gym is they have lots of equipment and people just like you. (Remember when you go into the gym, many of the “FIT” people you see didn’t use to be that way). A good gym will provide an orientation showing you what to do, how to use the equipment, and a startup program for you. Some gyms do not require you sign up for a long-term membership.

Then there are always group fitness classes. In the middle of Bridge City there is a Boot Camp for strength and toning. Spread through out the county there are Zumba classes that are lots of fun, and a couple of fitness centers that offer classes for men and woman that do not require gym membership (A well guarded secret that for some reason is not advertised) There are lots of opportunities to get healthy for life.

You need good health for life.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO -------- WHATS HOLDING YOU BACK !!!!!!

Is it going to be your new years resolution to work on your health. Why wait? Why put it off ? Surely its not because you do not want to be healthy?

Greg Burkett “Greg the Trainer” is a personal fitness counselor in Orange County, Texas. For information you may contact him at 550-0777 or [email protected].

 

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