Most athletes warm up before working out or competing to improve performance and to help prevent injury.
But to come up with a complete answer, you must be specific. What kind of warm-up are you doing? For what kind of activity are you warming up and what is your current conditioning level.
In this 2 part series you will discover the theoretical purpose of warm-up exercises, the psychological factors created by warming up and 4 styles of warm-up that will help improve your game!.
Physical Purpose Of Warming Up
Increased Muscle Temperature
Improved Metabolic Adjustment
Increased Velocity Of Nerve Conduction
Increased Capillaries Opened In Muscle
Psychological Factors Of Warming Up
Skilled performance improves with activity identical or directly related to actual workouts and corresponding sports activities.
Prior physical activity improves the “mental set” or attitude of the athlete, especially when the activity is related to the workout or corresponding sporting activity.
Increased arousal or enthusiasm, eagerness and mental readiness.
One potential drawback of warming up is: Fatigue
Don’t mistake a good warm-up session for your workout.
Field Warm Up
This is the first of 4 warm-up styles you will learn over the next 2 blog posts.
Field warm-up is an athletic series of exercises done on an open field used for outdoor or indoor. Performed at a light pace with some stretching similar to bootcamp style exercise not using any equipment, jogging and light calisthenics are examples.
Stretching is one of the most overlooked aspects of a workout program / active lifestyle. The reality is that our bodies are designed to move on a near constant basis. But modern lifestyles have drastically changed human behavior and routines to a more sedentary lifestyle.
Hard physical labor has been replaced with more sedentary “mental” work styles which involve sitting at desk or standing in one place for extended periods of time.
A way to combat this sedentary lifestyle is to get up and MOVE. Take a walk, do some pushups and yes even stretch. And always, always- it is important to stretch your body before, during and after every workout. Stretching will keep your body warm and lubricated and it will help reduce injuries.
There are several ways to stretch. The two we will discuss are static stretching and ballistic stretching.
Static stretching is the typical method of stretching. Usually it is longer in duration lasting 30 to 60 seconds during each stretch. Ballistic stretching is the style Olympic swimmers use to warm up. They swing their arms back and forth very rapidly but smoothly to avoid injury. Both techniques work. But I recommend sticking mostly to the static technique and then add ballistic occasionally.
Stretching:
Reduces muscle tension
Improves performance
Increases range of motion
Increases flexibility
Stretching Tips
Spend 10 – 30 seconds in each stretch. Don’t bounce.
Good idea to stretch / warm-up at the same time.
Perform before/during/after a work out and throughout the day.
Along with stretching I recommend monthly or bi-monthly massage therapy. Deep massage helps the body eliminate lactic acid build up from weight training or other intense muscle activity.
It is good to schedule chiropractic alignments.
Checkout your Virtual Trainer for many stretching routines!
Yes 2014 is almost here and you have not mapped out your success journey or have you?? Either way if you think you’re going to drift to success, best of luck to you. That is correct I said luck! Might as well play the Georgia lotto with is a one-in-a million odds chance of winning. Here is another fun statistics for you. 33% of lotto winners lose their winnings within 5 years, some even commit suicide. By now you may be asking yourself, what does this have to do with health and fitness?
Short answer to that is, people look for a quick fix and miss out on the journey of life which is a blessing. The benefits of owning a million bucks in my opinion is generating it and same goes for health and fitness. It’s the grind, sweat, camaraderie and victory. Working out to most is considered well…. WORK!!!
They hate it, don’t want to do it and that’s why health and fitness marketers have to dress up exercise in so many ways in order to get your fat butt off the coach!! No harm intended here just proving a strong point. You know this, right? Good, so how do we make it manageable or even likable you may ask. Well for me, I hang with people who LOVE to WORKOUT. They seem to always have the best outlook so I just adopted their successful mind set. One of my great approaches to learning new things is by Modeling.
Modeling is simply finding a person that possess the qualities, skill sets, physique or success you desire for yourself and mimic their actions. Careful that you choose a person that you trust, currently practices the success habits or have a successful track record teaching. When it comes to physical achievement it is almost impossible to cheat because of its visible effects but when it comes to money, people can look like they have money but don’t. So to help you improve your odds of winning and get you started right away, I’ve put together for you some empowering affirmations in regards of exercise and health:
I love waking up to a killer workout. It is enlightening and refreshing!
My fitness routine is enjoyable, energetic and easy!”
I enjoy exercising and my fitness routine gives me unfathomable results.
I AM a perfect example of health and fitness.
My physical fitness clearly shows that I have a fitness regimen.
I AM a lean mean fighting machine!
My body is firm, healthy and metabolically fast.
I AM sexy, slim and all the men love me!
My daily fitness routine gives me excellent results.
I AM built, fit and women flock to me.
During my workout routine, I feel healthier and healthier by the minute.
It’s obvious that I am enjoying working out daily.
I always contribute in healthy ways to my body.
I AM living a long and healthy life.
I eat healthy, nutritious and digestible foods every day.
I drink large amounts of thirst quenching water every day.
My strong body has fully recovered and healed.
The most important part of this blog is NOT its written content but is already in your own HEAD!
Once you learn how to harness the tremendous potential of your mind and how to structure the knowledge you ALREADY HAVE, you can transform it into the power necessary for attaining your life purpose, desired goals or DREAMS.
There is a proverb which says:
“If you would plant for a day, plant flowers.
If you would plant for years, plant trees.
If you would plant for eternity, plant ideas!”
My thoughts has been written to induce a flow of ideas through your mind. It will introduce you to a new you which has the vision of your innate powers and will not accept or recognize failure. You will arouse your determination to go further and claim the things that is rightfully yours.
“One single idea may have greater weight than the labor of all the men, animals and engines for a century.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
Dream wildly, write vividly, and WORK your deepest desires,
Once again I sit here listening to music getting into the mindset of writing my thoughts, when a particular song comes to mind. Home by Phillip Phillips. In this song the lyrics are “Settle down, it’ll all be clear. Don’t pay no mind to the demons. They fill you with fear. The trouble it might drag you down. If you get lost, you can always be found. Just know you’re not alone. Cause I’m gonna make this place your home. “
I have been doing the Body By Fadi Fast Track program now for an incredible 9 months. In those 9 months my coach Fadi Malouf has has taken me from a world of the unknown to a world of Health Nutrition and Fitness and made me feel very much at home. I have been sober for nine months now. Free of smoking for three months. I am so far from that person I was just 9 short months ago.
Back in September if someone told me I would be having a complete home gym in my home I would have said that would be awesome. But 9 months ago if someone told me I would be at a gym working along side the same people who scared me, I would have assumed you were drinking heavily at that moment. But that is exactly what I am doing. When I wrote a blog here 6 months ago I was so afraid of walking into a gym. I joined one and after several “I can do this” to myself. I Love it. Using the Virtual Trainer is fun and easy. Yep! Easy!!!! I track my progress with every exercise Fadi assigns. This virtual trainer is one cool phone app.
Fadi has taken this once under achiever in life and shown through this amazing Body By Fadi Fast Track program. Anything is possible. Goals can be and will be met. I started this program weighing in at 129 lbs. with a goal of making it to 150lbs with his nutritional guidance I achieved that. Eating healthy clean foods. No fast foods, no junk foods, no chips or sodas or anything processed. I struggled along the way but never once gave up. I was going to get there. Now that I am there I still have high goals to reach.
One of my biggest enemies was myself, my self-esteem, my self-worth, always targets by “haters” trying to burst my bubble along the way. Fadi, the big brother type made sure I never lost belief in myself, by keeping me motivated with Facebook posts. His own words of encouragement and making sure no matter what was happening, no matter how hard things were, I was never going to be left alone to lose sight of the “big picture.”
Along with helping me understand fitness and nutrition, Fadi has shown me a path I of all people never saw coming. The want to help others who were in the same boat as I am (or was at some point) in. I am now enrolled in getting my sports nutrition certification. To teach others what I was taught. Simply eating right is the ONE factor (of many) you can control in staying healthy and fit. It’s all a matter of knowing whats going in your body. If you can’t pronounce the ingredients there’s a pretty good chance your body won’t make due with it. I hope to be working along side Fadi after this process is done.
So you see now why this Song “Home” is so fitting to me and the Body By Fadi Fast Track Program. This Amazing man has shown me a home that I was once afraid of. A lifestyle to which I have become so accustomed to. He has made me know I have to fight off the demons of the way I was. All I have to do is look forward and know I have come such a long way and fought through so much. His words that’s started it all ” You can go back to the way you were, or move forward and never look back,” is still standing strong in my mind.
One last thing. If a year long program seems a bit long. Trust me in 9 months from now you’ll be saying “Dang only 3 months left but I am having too much fun”
Pears are in season! They are sweet, delicious and richly flavored pears offer the crunchiness of apples yet are as juicy as peaches and nectarines.
Pears are packed with health benefiting nutrients such as dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins, which are necessary for optimum health.
Pears are a good source of dietary fiber and regular eating of this fruit may offer protection against colon cancer. Most of the fiber in them is non soluble polysaccharide (NSP), which functions as a good bulk laxative in the gut. Additionally, the gritty fiber content binds to cancer-causing toxins and chemicals in the colon, protecting its mucous membrane from contact with these compounds.
In addition, pear fruit is one of the very low calorie fruits, provides 58 calories per 100g. Just a few sections a day in the diet can bring significant reduction in weight and blood LDL cholesterol levels.
They contain good quantities of vitamin C. Fresh fruits provide about 7% of RDA per 100 g.
They are moderate sources of antioxidant flavonoids phyto-nutrients such as beta-carotene, lutein and zea-xanthin. These compounds, along with vitamin C and A, help the body protected from harmful free radicals.
The fruit is a good source of minerals such as copper, iron, potassium, manganese and magnesium as well as B-complex vitamins such as folates, riboflavin and pyridoxine (vitamin B-6).
Although not well documented, pears are among the least allergenic of all fruits and are therefore recommended by health practitioners as a safe alternative in the preparation of food products for allergy sufferers.
Since several of the vitamins and minerals are concentrated in significant quantities just underneath the skin, pears should be eaten as a whole along with its skin to get maximum benefits.
Here is a delicious recipe for a low-fat Pear and Spinach Salad.
This is a nice fall salad that makes use of wonderfully fragrant ripe pears. The hardest thing about making this pear and spinach salad is not eating the pears ahead of time. Feel free to add some slivered red onion or a half cup of sliced mushrooms or a tablespoon of crumbled feta cheese to this delicious salad to contrast the sweetness of the pears, raisins or cranberries.
Ingredients:
•1 10 ounce package baby spinach
•3 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and sliced
•1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
•1/4 cup chopped walnuts
•2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
•3 tbsp white wine vinegar
•1 tbsp lemon juice
•Pinch of Himalayan salt (optional)
Preparation:
Wash and dry spinach and place in large bowl with pear slices. Sprinkle raisins and walnuts on top. Whisk oil, vinegar, lemon and salt and drizzle over salad.
Serves 4-6
Per Serving: Calories 164, Calories from Fat 46, Total Fat 5.2g (sat 0.5g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 39mg, Carbohydrate 26.6g, Fiber 3.8g, Protein 2.8g
Formula 5/3/12 is your fat loss success formula: Eat 5 meals a day every 3 hours with a 12 hour fast.
This formula is not only good for fat burning but those seeking muscular gain can also benefit from eating 5 or 6 meals every day.
Reasons To Eat 5 or 6 Meals Each Day
Speeds up metabolism.
Long term consumption of hard to digest large meals that are poor nutrient dense meals causes your body to “shut” down and hibernate. When this occurs the body stores more of your consumed meals as fat and stores toxins that are hidden inside of the processed foods you consume inside of your fat tissue.
Diminishes the desire to overeat.
Puts less stress on your colon.
Easier for your body to digest.
Stabilize blood sugar levels.
Success Tips
Use a timer: your watch, smart phone, tablet, computer or other timer and set it to beep every 3 hours. Eat when it tells you to eat.
Pre cook and pre package your food and keep it on hand.
Carry easy to eat foods everywhere you go: Boiled eggs, healthy supplements, fruits and vegetables are good examples.
Monday: Chest – 5 sets x 3 exercise / Back – 5 sets x 2 exercises (Rest Pauses, forced reps, bottom/top half work and negatives are good here – 45 minute workout not including warm up)
Tuesday: Legs – 10 sets 3 exercise (Rest Pauses, forced reps, bottom/top half work and negatives are good here – 45 minute workout not including warm up)
Wednesday: Swim – 500 meters/Yoga/Stretch/Cardio
Thursday: Chest – 5 sets x 3 exercise / Back – 5 sets x 2 exercises (Burnout, drop sets, & static holds are good here – 45 minute workout not including warm up)
Friday: Legs – 10 sets x 3 exercise (Super/Giant Sets, Drop Sets, Burnout, Widowmakers, and static holds. are good here – 45 minute workout not including warm up)
1. First thing in the morning on an empty stomach:
Interval training 2 days a week 20 minutes max 30 sec and 1-minute bursts.
Incline walk, elliptical, stair master, bike, swim 45 – 60 minutes 65 to 80 of max heart rate.
2. Immediately after weight resistance on an empty stomach:
Incline walk, elliptical, stair master, bike, swim 15 to 30 minutes 65 to 80 of max heart rate.
3. 2+ hours after dinner on an empty stomach:
Walk, elliptical, bike, 30 to 60 minutes 55 to 70 of max heart rate. (Do not eat anything afterwards. Aminoes are recommended such BCAA and L-Glutimine)
The ultimate satisfaction is when I make something nutritious for my kids and they gobble it up and ask for more. I knew this would be a winner just by looking at the recipe; my kids were standing in front of the oven waiting for these babies to come out. I got the original recipe from Vanilla & Spice. I didn’t change much either, just the type of fruit I used , type of salt, and type of sweetener. These bars are chewy, crunchy, and sweet. Oh and they make the house smell divine!
Ingredients:
1/2 c. raw almonds
1/4 c. dates, chopped
1/4 c. dried apricots (make sure there’s no sugar or sulfur added)
1 c. quick oats
2 tbsp. dry millet
1/4 c. mixed seeds (half pumpkin and half sunflower-unsalted)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. pink himalayan salt
2 tbsp. ground flax seed
1/2 c. almond butter
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. honey (optional)*
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare an 8 x 8 pan by lining with parchment paper. Place almonds, dates, and apricots in a food processor until roughly chopped). Transfer to a bowl and add oats, millet, seeds, cinnamon, salt, and flax. Use a whisk to mix thoroughly. Place almond butter and mashed bananas together in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave for 15 more seconds. Stir until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and honey. Pour wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until evenly coated. Pour mixture into prepared pan and press down firmly with spatula. Bake for 22-27 minutes, until edges are brown and top is firm to the touch. Cool completely, then slice into 8 bars.
*If I was making these for myself, I would leave the honey out to make them less sweet. Macros below include the recipe WITH the honey.
