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Fitness News - November 2007
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Friday, 30 November 2007
RIAS is encouraging people to beat the bulge this Christmas by being more active. The over 50s insurer has joined together with the National Trust to promote a range of walks that open up the great outdoors
to young and old alike; a perfect way to walk off the Christmas turkey while spending more time with the family!
The walks can be downloaded free from the National Trust's website: www.NationalTrust.org.uk, providing an invaluable guide with easy to follow directions, maps and points of interest along the route. They cover some of the most beautiful parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland including coastal, woodland, upland and riverside routes, making exercise a pleasure that can be had by all the family.
Janet Connor, Managing Director of RIAS, says: "Walking is a great way to exercise for all ages. It is a fun - and a sociable activity for family and friends to take part in at this festive time. Through our sponsorship of the National Trust walks, we hope to encourage more people to take pleasure in our beautiful countryside by going for walks on a crisp winter's day to watch the wonders of our wildlife. These walks are not just for the Christmas period, they are perfect to get 2008 underway - a great New Years' resolution for all of us."
The National Trust has some great downloadable walks perfect for Christmas including: Harting Down in West Sussex, one of the largest areas of ancient chalk downland owned by the Trust; Ashridge in the Chilterns, with its rich variety of wildlife including the renowned red kite; and Dedham Vale in Suffolk, the famous location for John Constable's idyllic pastoral paintings.
RIAS selected the National Trust, which has 3.5 million members and 49,000 volunteers throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as a partner due to its relevance to the interests of primary market, the over 50s. As a respected and trusted brand, the National Trust fits well with the RIAS philosophy of offering quality and reassurance to their policyholders.
For more information on the RIAS/National Trust walking initiative, visit NationalTrust.
Thursday, 29 November 2007
(NewsTarget) Common wisdom holds that exercise boosts your mood, in addition to benefiting your physical health. Terms such as “endorphins” and “runner’s high” are afloat in the popular lexicon. If you are a pers
on who exercises regularly, or if you know someone who does, you will likely be aware of this bonus that comes along with vigorous physical activity. Ample evidence seems to suggest that exercise might hold great promise in the treatment of disorders such as depression. But anecdotal evidence and personal testimony do not a mental health revolution make. A new anti-depressant medication, for example, must be tested through clinical trials that prove its efficacy and safety before it can be put on the market.
In the last couple decades, there has been some interest in looking at the mental health value of exercise. Until recently, however, studies investigating the effectiveness of exercise in the treatment of mental health have not been conducted with the same level of scientific rigor as the clinical trials used to bring anti-depressant medications to the market. Limitations of previous studies have included the absence of a control group, individuals not being randomly assigned to study groups, and testing the effects of exercise on individuals who were not suffering from a mood disorder.
But a recent placebo-controlled study conducted by James Blumenthal, professor of psychology at Duke University, and published in the September issue of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine compared exercise to a common antidepressant medication in a group of individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder, and found that exercise was as effective as the drug at alleviating symptoms of the disorder. In this study, 202 depressed adults were randomly assigned to one of four groups: one that received the antidepressant sertraline, one that worked out in a supervised group setting three times a week, one that worked out at home, or one that received a placebo pill. Sixteen weeks later, 47% of the group that took the antidepressant, 45% of the supervised exercise group, and 40% of those that exercised at home no longer met the criteria for major depression based on a standard measure of depression symptoms. Although the percent of improvement in the group that exercised on their own was less than that of those that exercised in a supervised group, and the percent improvement in the supervised exercise group was slightly less than that of the group that took the antidepressant, the differences between these three groups were not statistically significant. All groups improved a statistically significant amount over the placebo group, 31% of which no longer met the criteria for depression at the end of the study.
This study provides powerful evidence that exercise may be a viable alternative to antidepressant medication in the treatment of major depressive disorder. (- Mary Sichi)
To read the full article, please visit www.NewsTarget.com.
Thursday, 29 November 2007
Calgary, Canada (PR.COM) - This New Year, let the Executive Edge and Allan H. Fine help you with these 8 Strategies to make 2008 Different. A new dream, a new possibility, a new promise to yourself. According to
many studies, weight loss and fitness
resolutions are ranked among the highest as a priority on the majority of people's lists of New Year's Resolutions. Then why do so many of us fail?
Almost all of us need help at some point in time with our lives, our health and our goals. In fact, almost all surveyed said they would need some kind of help in 2008 in sticking to those goals. With that in mind and in anticipation of 2008, here are 8 tips to expand your mind, create new possibilities and ensure your success and your good health:
- Write It Down. When you set your goals on paper, not only does it make it real, you can measure whether it's a success or not. Lifecoaches give this tip as the #1 most important thing they get their clients to do. Here is a great goal planner that is free of charge: www.executiveedge1.com
- The Law of Attraction - Many of you have heard about this. How it works is based on four Basic Principles. Write it down is the second one. Think of it, is the First one. Think about what you do want to happen to you in life. Most of us go around thinking and complaining about what we don't want to have happen to us in life. So think about what you do want to have happen to you. (Then write it down)
- Tell everyone you know about your goals and enroll them into your possibilities in your life. You never know who you will inspire and who will lend support in your time of need, keeping you on track.
- Plan your work- Work your Plan. As Mother Theresa said, "Prayer without action is like no action at all." You need to be in Action to be successful. The most successful people in the world have a weekly action plan and they follow through.
- Eat 5 small meals every day. Make sure each time you eat you have protein with that meal. The majority of people I train only eat 60% of their protein needs every day. So every year, you may be losing 3 -10 lbs of lean muscle. Every year, you may be getting flabbier and flabbier as your body cannibalizes muscle and gains the same weight in fat. The result: flabby body syndrome.
- Move your body and remember Weight Training is King. Workout at least 3 times a week for 1 hour each time with light weights and high reps. If you're bored with your routine try something different or hire a trainer for a few sessions to update your program.
- Inspire It. Many people set unrealistic goals for New Year without any thought into how it's going to look or how it's going to be achieved. Think about what inspires you to achieve these goals. Why is it so important to be in shape.
- Live It. How many of us get up, eat, go to work, come home, eat, watch TV and go to bed only to do the same thing day after day after day. Either you are creating your life every day with passion and purpose or you're reacting to what happens to you every day. So create your life and realize anything is possible.
For more information, please visit www.executiveedge1.com.
Wednesday, 28 November 2007
Glen Arbor, MI (PR.COM) - Over six million Europeans are Nordic Ski Walking every day (all ages and all fitness levels). This is an amazing new fitness activity that turbo charges the normal walking campaig
n. Not only does Nordic Walking burn up to 40% more
calories than regular walking, it automatically improves walking posture and helps to reduce the stress to the shins, knees, hips and back.
Utilizing the correct length poles encourages improved walking posture, while the poles, the special Nordic Ski Walking straps and your arms absorb an impressive amount of the shock that would typically hit the shins, knees, hips and back. Nordic Ski Walking is ideal for athletes, kids, adults of all ages and even folks with balance issues, back issues, new knees and/or new hips.
Three years ago, Pete Edwards launched SkiWalking.com and the American Nordic Walking System. Right away, the new business received hundreds of thank you emails and thank you cards from happy customers. One lady called during the fall of 2004 and asked if the poles would help improve her balance problems stemming from an inner ear issue. At the time, there were no success stories specific to her predicament. By using the correct length poles, she was able to navigate even the roughest terrain with balance and security provided by the poles. She has been successfully using the Ski Walking for three years now.
While hosting Nordic Walking at The Fitness Center in Traverse City, Michigan, Edwards was introduced to Michelle Honer. Michelle had signed up to participate in one of his Nordic Ski Walking Classes. When she walked up the handicap ramp prior to the class with her cane, it was apparent that she had some balance issues and she informed her classmates that she had MS. Her 1st Ski Walk was only a few blocks down and back. Within several weeks, we were covering about 2 miles in one hour. For seven prior years, Michelle had ridden an electric scooter in the Traverse City MS Walk. The last couple of years, Michelle has Ski Walked the 5K (3.1 miles). Local newspapers and TV stations have covered her remarkable story. "My special Nordic Walking poles have allowed me to walk taller, faster, further and with much more stability than with my cane. Their one-piece design is so much better than my old adjustable poles that broke unexpectedly at an extremely inconvenient time," says Michelle. Michelle's success with the walking poles encouraged Edwards to host free Nordic Ski Walking Clinics at MS Support Group meetings. She suggested that Edwards also contact the Jimmie Heuga Center in Colorado. The Heuga Center is dedicated to helping those with MS lead healthier and happier lives.
Here are a couple wonderful comments from happy customers:
I just returned from a 14-day trip to London and Ireland. I was able to do almost everything using my ski poles or "walking sticks" as they call them in England and Ireland. I could not have considered this trip without my "walking sticks" and I am grateful for them. I hope all Parkinson's patients will be able make use of "walking sticks". Again, thanks for making my once in a lifetime adventure a reality. - Jean
We've been Ski Walking everyday, I was truly amazed at watching Linda, if didn't know that she has MS and the related gate problems that most MS patients have, I would not have believed it! She walks "normal" what ever that is? Your poles are great!- Howard
My husband bought me your poles for my birthday last week. I love them. I have MS and walk with a slight limp and my balance is off sometimes. I am now walking in the park at a brisk walk every day for about 1 1/2 miles. Thank you so much. They make a big difference in my walking. I told him they are the best birthday present he has ever bought me. Thanks again. - Peggy
Sounds like magic, but it is just good physics. The key is using correct length poles. Perfect length poles help us to automatically walk with a super straight back - better walking posture is biomechanically a good thing. This improved walking posture when combined with the unique 4-Wheel-Drive type action of walking with poles radically reduces the stress to the shins, knees, hips and back. Nordic Walking is low-impact and yet provides a highly effective workout - burning more calories and working more muscle groups than regular walking.
Real one-piece Nordic Ski Walking poles won't collapse unexpectedly. One-piece poles are safer, lighter and much more durable than cheap twist-locking adjustable/telescoping/collapsible poles. Twist-locking adjustable/telescoping/collapsible poles should never be recommended for anyone with a balance issue. Hundreds of backpackers have tumbled when their telescoping poles unexpectedly collapsed, causing severe injuries. Launch your Nordic Ski Walking Campaign today.
Wednesday, 28 November 2007
A recent study showed that fear of looking unattractive can be a stronger motivation for keeping people going to the gym than the hope of looking good. Researchers at the University of Bath, UK found that those w
ho had been asked to think about a dramatic failure to keep to the program were motivated to keep on the training because they were fearful of not looking good. However, those who were asked to imagine they were succeeding in getting fit became less motivated to continue at the gym since they no longer had this fear of not looking good.
The said study shows that fear of failure motivates people more than the idea that they are going to succeed. Professor Brett Martin of the University of Bath’s School of Management explains, “When people dwell on a negative future, fear motivates them, yet as they move away from their feared state – a flabby body, or a wrinkled skin – they become less motivated.”
For more details on this news, please visit www.sciencedaily.com.
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