The Benefits of Cardio and Its Effects on the Cardiorespiratory System

For some, cardiovascular exercise may not be the most enjoyable aspect of fitness. However, it is and should be an important part of every workout routine. Not only does it get your heart pumping and increase the amount of calories your burn, but it also has other very important physiological implications.

With regular moderate to high intensity cardiovascular exercise the body becomes more adapted and conditioned to physical stressors.

The heart will increase in size and strength, which will enable it to push out more oxygenated blood to parts of the body. Blood volume and lung volume will increase, and the body will become more efficient in using oxygen.

Due to the body's positive physiological changes and increased cardiovascular efficiency, resting heart rate will decrease and so will blood pressure, if it were initially high.

The benefits of cardiovascular exercise are not only limited to positive changes in the cardiorespiratory system, they also have many positive effects on other body systems including the musculoskeletal system.

With all of its benefits in mind, be sure to make cardio a staple in your workout routine.


References

Heyward, V. (2006) Advanced Fitness Assessment and Exercise Prescriptio: Fifth Edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Triceps to toned, muscular and symmetrical arms!

You may already know that your triceps make up more of your arm than your biceps do, yet most people still decide to focus more of their attention on training their biceps and less attention on training their triceps.

As depicted in the word triceps meaning three heads, this muscule group is comprised of the long head, lateral head, and medial head.


Long Head
The most inner head, located on the back of your arm next to your back.
Lateral Head
The head located closest to the outside of the body.
Medial Head
The smallest of the three heads, located deep and between the long and lateral heads.


How do you go about training these muscles?
Well, try encorporating these exercises into your routine.

-Overhead exercises were your elbows are beside your ears.





(Overhead Tricep Extension)


-Exercises in which your upper arms are behind or beside your body, such as dips or pushdowns.





(Dips)

(Pushdowns)


-Exercises such as lying tricep extensions or close grip bench press.



(Lying Tricep Extension)

(Close-Grip Bench Press)


Always remember to vary your tricep exercises to get all three heads working. This will help you achieve the toned, muscular and symmetrical arms that you are looking for.

Reduce your risk of Cardiovascular Disease!

First things first. What are the risk factors of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)?

Unmodifiable risk factors (The factors you have no control over)
- Family history of premature Cardiovascular Disease (less than 55 years in men and less than 65 years in women)
- Gender (Men at higher risk than females up to the age of 55)
- Advancing Age (Men 45 and up, Women 55 and up)
- Ethnic Characteristics (Individuals of African decent are at greater risk)

Modifiable risk factors (The factors you have control over)
- Smoking
- Diabetes (blood sugar disorder)
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Dyslipidemia (blood lipid imbalance)
- Obesity, more specifically abdominal obesity (fat surrounding the internal organs of the abdominal cavity)
- Psychological factors (state of stress or depression)
- The consumption of Fruits and Vegetables (consume more fruits and vegetables)
- The consumption of Alcohol (Drink 1, but not more then 1 alcoholic beverage a day. Preferably red wine.)
- *** [Most Important]*** The amount of Physical Activity (exercise on a regular basis)

Research has indicated that with regular physical activity the risk of CVD notably decreases. This is because, regular physical activity helps reduce most of the modifiable risk factors associated with CVD. These risk factors include; diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity and abdominal obesity, and the psychological factors associated with being sedentary.

The three other modifiable risk factors (smoking, the consumption of fruits and vegetables, and the consumption of alcohol) can be corrected with a change in lifestyle habits.

Reduce your risk of CVD and maintain a healthy body by practicing healthy lifestyle habits, and by exercising regularly.


References

Advanced Fitness Assessment and Exercise Prescription, Fifth Edition, by Vivian H. Heyward, 2006, Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

What do nutrition claims mean?

Have you ever wondered what those bold, eye catching food package labels (Fat free, Fat- reduced, Low fat and Light) actually mean?

Well, what these labels do is highlight a nutritional feature that the particular food product possess. Companies use these labels to their advantage to help influence consumers in buying their product.

Can companies falsely label and incorrectly claim something about a food product?

No. Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) are jointly responsible and are depended upon to enforce federal food labelling polices in Canada under the Food and Drugs Act.

Although Health Canada and the CFIA are responsible for enforcing food labelling polices, some loopholes are apparent in which some companies try to exploit. A few of these loopholes will be discussed in greater depth a little later, but first we must get an understanding of what these labels stand for.

Listed bellow are food package labels and their respective meanings.

Free - an amount so small that health experts consider it nutritionally insignificant.
Fat free signifies that the product contains less than 0.5 grams per serving.
Sodium free - less than 5 mg sodium per referenced amount(specific amount of food listed in Nutrition Facts).
Cholesterol free indicates that the product has less than 2 mg cholesterol per serving.

Reduced - the product has 25 percent less of a particular substance than the original.
Fat-reduced indicates that the product has 25 percent less fat than the original one.
Reduced in Calories indicates that the product has at least 25 percent less energy than the food it was compared with.

Low - always associated with a very small amount.
Low Fat indicates that the product contains 3 grams of fat or less per serving.
Low in saturated fat signifies 2 grams or less of saturated and trans fat combined per referenced amount.

Source - always associated with a "significant" amount.
Source of fibre - 2 grams or more fibre per referenced amount.
Good source of calcium - 165 mg or more of calcium per referenced amount.

Light or Lite may refer to anything about the product. This may include taste, texture, colour, fat content, or caloric content . Look at the nutritional information in greater detail to find out which attribute is being referred to as "light."

% M.F. or % B.F. are listed on most dairy products. It indicates the percentage of milk fat and butter fat respectfully.

As stated earlier, there are loopholes when it comes to food labelling.

Example #1
Let’s take a look at the food label Light or Lite. The words Light or Lite can refer to the taste, texture, colour, fat content, or caloric content of the food. This specific label is already very generalized. So, how do you know which attribute the words Light or Lite are referring too? This question can be answered by taking a look at the Nutritional Information or Nutrition Fact label, usually located on the back of the product. The next example explains how.

Example #2
Now let us take a look at the label Fat free. As stated above, Fat free signifies that the food product contains 0.5 grams of fat or less per serving. Note the words "per serving."
By looking at the Nutritional Information label located at the back of a particular product one can untangle any confusion that may be associated with the front label. This particular Nutritional Information label of PAM cooking spray indicates that the fat content of this particular food product is 0 grams per serving. According to Health Canada and the CFIA this product is Fat free. However, taking a closer look at the label, the serving size is only 0.226 grams(an extremely small amount). Because the serving size is so small, it seems as though there is no fat in this product, however, as we all know oil is fat. This product is far from Fat free.

Next time you shop, remember that if a product advertises a particular nutritional feature, you can always back up their claim by checking the products Nutritional Information label. This will help ensure that you are getting the product that you are intending to buy.

References

Health Canada. (2002). Nutrition Labelling... Get the Facts! Retrieved June 27, 2009, from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/label-etiquet/nutrition/educat/te_background-le_point-08-table1-eng.php

Fitness Questionnaire

Warm-Up and Cool Down

It is important to begin an exercise routine with a proper warm-up. A good warm-up helps prepare the body both physically and mentally prior to commencing the workout. Most research has indicated that a thorough and well-planned warm-up not only improves performance, but also helps prevent injuries.

Like the warm-up, the cool down is also an important part of your exercise routine. Many people tend to neglect this aspect of training. After a long and tiring exercise session, most people are content to just end their workout abruptly. Doing so may lead to muscle stiffness, and could make the individual more prone to injury the next time they exercise.

A short cool down may aid in the removal of metabolic byproducts that could have accumulated in the muscles and surrounding tissues. Addionally, a gradual cool down will help the cardiovascular system, since the abrupt lowing of the heart may lead to complications, especially in older individuals.

The next time you decide to exercise, set aside 10-15 minutes for a good warm-up and cool down. Your body will thank you for it.