Exercise - Fitness Mantra : A Health and Fitness Blog

women on treadmill in gym It’s time for the second Quick Tip of the year! This one goes out to all those people who you see in the gym cycling/treading/stepping away to glory as sweat drips down by the bucketful from their bodies! (Not a very pleasant sight is it?!). If you ever wondered why you don’t sweat as much (or you are actually one of them), then know this:
“You Don’t Have To Sweat To Get A Good Workout”

Smart Fitness on MSNBC Health has the scoop:

Everyone doesn’t sweat the same amount or under the same circumstances. Some people sweat just sitting at their desks and others don’t bead up until they’re midway through a high-impact aerobics class.

The topic arose when answering an question on the optimal gym temperature (it’s about 68-72 F, by the way). The fact is that perspiration is just the body’s natural reaction to increased temperature as is sensed by the individual. The body is able to achieve a certain level of cooling by the evaporation of sweat from the surface of the skin - a natural phenomenon known as thermoregulation.

Now, of course everyone perceives temperature a little differently and consequently, different people sweat differently. The amount of sweating has no bearing on the success of the workout and in fact, a person who sweats excessively has to be particularly careful that he/she remains well hydrated with plenty of water.

So just forget about how much you are sweating when you workout and focus instead on high-intensity, shorter duration cardio-vascular exercises and don’t forget to hit the weights as well!

Fitness Mantra del.icio.us page Welcome to “FitnessMantra Weekend”, your once-a-week health news update. As always you can also stay updated with the latest in fitness news by subscribing separately to the Fitness Mantra del.icio.us feed.

cycling Well, here’s a little switcheroo: If you believe a lot of activity has got you feeling tired and fatigues, then the solution is … a little more activity! Researchers have found that a bit of low-intensity workouts like quick walks can actually increase energy levels by 20% while reducing fatigue by upto 65%! The findings are indeed counter-intuitive:

“Too often we believe that a quick workout will leave us worn out, especially when we are already feeling fatigued,” Tim Puetz, who helped conduct the study, said in a statement.
“However, we have shown that regular exercise can actually go a long way in increasing feelings of energy, particularly in sedentary individuals.” [Reuters]

At the University of Georgia, where the study was conducted, 36 people were divided into three groups, one doing moderately intense exercise for 6 weeks, the second doing a more leisurely paced regimen and the last doing none at all. Unlike the “obvious” expectations of tired from the exercising group, the researchers actually found increased energy levels in the exercising groups and the bigger surprise? - the low intensity exercisers reported better energy levels!

While I have always advocated high-intensity (and shorter bouts) of cardiovascular exercise for weight loss, it seems that energy levels can be increased by even less-intense exercises. Who knew!

Here are the week’s top health and fitness stories:

‘Involved’ patients not always healthier: People who take a proactive role in their healthcare may be better-informed, but that may not necessarily translate into better health, results of a study hint.
Carb Intake, Obesity Tied to Rise in Esophageal Cancers: There may be a link between rising rates of carbohydrate intake and obesity and the increasing number of esophageal cancer cases in the United States
Feeling tired? Exercise a little: Couch potatoes who complain they are tired all the time have an easy solution — a little light exercise.
Glamorous mature celebrities spark over-50s anorexia: It’s a disease generally associated with teens and young women, but glamorous mature celebrities are being blamed for a rise in anorexia in the over-50s.
Chronic ills seen as focal point to reform health care: In an issue as divisive as health care reform, one of the few areas of agreement is the need to do a better job preventing and managing diabetes, hypertension and other chronic diseases.
Vitamin E linked to lung cancer: Vitamin E is known to be an antioxidant - protecting cells from molecules called free radicals. But the US researchers speculate that, in high doses, it may also act as a pro-oxidant - causing oxidation and therefore damage to cells.
Low-fat dairy may aid blood pressure: Women who regularly consume low-fat milk or yogurt may have a lower risk of developing high blood pressure, new research suggests.
New York using “green carts” in latest obesity fight: New York City will issue 1,000 new permits for mobile fruit and vegetable stands in its latest drive against obesity and unhealthiness among its residents.
9 Ways Women Can Prevent Heart Disease: Every minute that goes by, another female dies from cardiovascular disease, which encompasses coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, heart failure, peripheral arterial disease and cardiac arrhythmias.
Obese kids at higher respiratory risk post-surgery: Obese children who undergo elective surgery typically have more additional medical conditions than their normal-weight peers do and are also at greater risk of developing adverse respiratory events after the procedure
Rise in midlife stroke in women linked to obesity: The rapidly rising incidence of stroke among Americans is primarily due to the increasing number of middle-aged women who are having strokes.
Overweight Hispanic Kids Show Early Markers for Diabetes: A small U.S. study found that obese Hispanic children and adolescents with normal blood sugar levels had elevated markers for blood vessel inflammation that may put them at risk for both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Obesity more dangerous than terrorism: experts: World governments focus too much on fighting terrorism while obesity and other “lifestyle diseases” are killing millions more people, an international conference heard Monday.
Flavoured foods ‘lacking fruit’: One strawberry fruit bar had 0.5% strawberry, and was actually made almost entirely from apples. Another own-brand strawberry fruit tea contained 0.2% strawberry
U.S. Health Care Spending to Double by 2017, Report Predicts: Spending on health care in the United States could double by 2017, reaching $4.3 trillion and accounting for 19.5 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product
‘Eat This, Not That’ for moms-to-be: Pregnancy will be a time of many challenges, but your diet shouldn’t be one of them.
Brits ‘under-estimate waist size’: Experts fear that by failing to recognise their increasing girth some people may be missing a key warning sign of developing type 2 diabetes.
Grocers Aim to Tell You How Your Food Measures Up: Eating smart seems to get more complicated by the day. Not only are there calories to count and healthy types of fat to choose, but there’s added sugar, fiber and salt to consider.
Too little sleep a health nightmare for many: […] all this sleeplessness can be a nightmare for your mental and physical health, CDC experts cautioned, calling sleep loss an under-recognized public health problem.