Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Staying Healthy And Fit - Working Out The Right Way

By James Steele


The topic of getting fit is all over the Internet, comprised of millions of pages of miscellaneous information on how you can achieve your goal of physical fitness. There are books by the latest diet and exercise guru du jour. Even though there is a lot of info on the topic, it is hard to find the time to weed through what is good and what is not. What matters more than who you choose to listen to is that you focus first on your health before deciding which fitness fad you want to follow. You need to have a healthy workout, and that is what this article will address in some detail.

If you're wondering how long you should work out each day, 60 minutes ought to be your goal. After an hour of exercising your body starts to produce more cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone and it contains a testosterone blocking effect which then leads to the wasting of your muscles. You really don't want to beat your body up even more after a workout which is why, after 60 minutes, you need to stop working out so that cortisol is not produced. Sixty minutes is really all the workout that you need since it is difficult to continue after that point both physically and mentally. All workouts that extend past an hour become mundane and very difficult to do. Protect your neck muscles at all costs. You are going to hear all sorts of safety tips on keeping your arms, abs, legs, buttocks, etc healthy but there isn't a whole lot out there that teaches you how to keep your neck healthy. Keep your tongue high, toward the roof of your mouth, in order to promote security for your neck. Basically, this aligns your neck properly on your shoulders. When you do various exercises, this will cut back on the strain that could potentially cause injury.

A good tip to follow is to not use painkillers after working out. If you can handle the soreness, this is much better than taking ibuprofen or acetaminophen for the pain. The pain, in recent studies, has been shown to be affected more by placebos than actual painkillers. Your blood can actually get thin, and your stomach can actually be damaged, by taking these medications. You will be less sore if you simply stretch and drink water instead of taking these pills. In fact, over the counter drugs have less of an effect than proper hydration on pain.

It is very easy to get in shape even though many people think that it is rigorous and demanding.

If you're limber, this can also help. If you want to stretch properly, hold each stretch for 30 seconds at least to get the muscles limber and ready. If you are over the age of forty you need to hold your stretches for at least sixty seconds. To get ready for your workout, the older that our muscles are, the more stretching that they require in order to be limber. When stretching, it is important to pay attention to all areas of your body including your upper torso and your legs as well. There is so much conflicting advice out there that it's hard to know who to trust. If you take a healthy approach toward your workout, you will do much better - just use the information around you to make that educated decision. You should also visit the family doctor, tell them what you are doing, and get their advice on whether or not it is safe for you to do.




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