Making the time to fit a workout session into a busy work/family/social life is not always an easy thing to do. To make the most of the time that you have managed to put aside and maximize the benefits of your exercise session, pay attention to these few things during the course of your workout.

1. Hydration Status

An old classic, and one you’ve probably heard to the point of boredom, but it is so important in so many ways that you just can’t put it off any longer. One thing you may not have realized is that during hydrated exercise, the rate of fat burning potential increases. If you exercise in a suitably hydrated state, you will burn more fat during your workout than if you turn up to your session dehydrated.

It is usually recommended to take in around 1.5L of water daily to be adequately hydrated. This should be achievable if you’re exercising in the afternoon. If you are training in the morning, keep in mind that you have effectively been fasting all night while you’ve been sleeping so it’s even more important to try and take in some fluids. In this case, try to manage at least a few glasses of water when you first get out of bed, and again before your workout. If plain cold water is just not enticing enough, try green tea, hot water with lemon or mint or fruit juice if all else fails.

2. Taking your time

You were late to your session, you have to leave early, you want to finish your session quickly so you get away from the nasty person who makes you exert yourself repeatedly…whatever the reason, there is more harm to be done by rushing through your workout. Not only are you increasing the risk that you will injure yourself, but by rushing through an exercise, you are cheating yourself out of the benefits.
The amount of time that the muscle is contracting determines to an extent how much it will develop and get stronger.
Generally slow and controlled movements are the way to go, making sure that the movements you make are initiated from muscle force, not from the momentum of the prior repetition or from letting the weights fall due to gravity. And don’t forget that movements comprise both an up and down phase, and both of these parts are just as important as the other for keeping your muscle constantly working.

3. Resting 

Rest periods throughout the session are just as important as the weight and type of exercises that your Exercise Physiologist has prescribed for you to do. Without giving the muscle enough time to rest in between sets means that it just gets tired quicker and is less able to do the work in order to get bigger or stronger.
Without rest, substances which are by products of muscle contraction continue to build up and can interfere with the ability of the muscle to continue to work until the muscle is given a chance to recover.

The truth behind Blood Sugar

I know what you’re thinking:

• Why do my daily blood sugar levels relate to my weight gain; Sugar isn’t fat, and that’s what I should be worried about, isn’t it?

• Why do I have to control my blood sugar levels throughout the day; as long as my total intake isn’t too high I should be fine right?

• How does maintaining my blood sugar levels through diet and exercise stop the storage of fat?

In this article we will answer all of the above questions and give you a greater understanding of why maintaining a constant blood sugar level will help you control your appetite, energy levels and weight.
When we have a meal our body immediately begins digestion to convert our food into blood sugar (glucose), our main source of energy.  Our blood sugar levels can affect how hungry and how energetic we are feeling.  Both of these are critical factors when we are trying to watch what we eat and how we exercise.  They also determine whether we burn fat or store it.
After a meal our blood sugar rises; this in turn causes an increase in the release of the hormone insulin.
If this release of insulin is too high our body is told that there is plenty of energy available, and that we should start storing some of it, in the form of fat.
This large insulin spike can also cause too much sugar to be drawn out of the blood; causing below normal blood sugar levels and consequently a rise in hunger and drop in energy levels. Naturally then we eat again, restarting the cycle.

So what can we do to control these levels of sugar in our blood?  There are two main methods; diet and exercise.

Diet:
To control our blood sugar we must eat foods that take longer to digest, and therefore release sugar into our blood stream more gradually.  This gradual release stops blood sugar and insulin spikes, resulting in maintained energy levels and control of hunger.
Foods that take longer to digest are referred to as being ‘Low G.I.’.  Some examples of Low G.I. foods include:
1.    Wholegrain Breads.
2.    Fruits and vegetables (excluding potatoes).
3.    Basmati Rice
4.    Pasta and Noodles

Exercise:
The human body is powered by muscles; which use two main fuel sources; sugar (glucose) and fat, to produce energy during exercise.
During exercise muscles use sugar from many sources including; sugar from the bloodstream, liver and fats.   To put it simply exercise helps control blood sugar levels by promoting the transfer of sugar from the bloodstream into the muscles, where it belongs.
In addition to this, exercise also increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin; making it easier for the body to transfer sugar into the cells, hence lowering blood sugar levels.

As you can see from above, by maintaining a constant blood sugar level; through simply making small changes to your diet and adding some exercise to your daily routine you can greatly reduce you fat storage, and control your hunger, energy levels and weight. So swap that ‘Mars Bar’ for some multigrain, and substitute that T.V. with the treadmill and before you know it you’ll be well on your way to reaching you health and fitness goals.

One of the sad facts of life is that none of us are getting any younger. And neither is Australia’s population. Due to low birth rates and longer life expectancies our population is an aging one. 13.1% of our population is comprised of those aged 65 years and older. By the year 2010 it is believed that this will grow to 14.3%. The bearing that this will have on society and the economy is huge.

Since we’re all going to be in this position one day what should we know? What really happens to our body as we age?

♣    There is a reduction in muscle mass which can slow down our metabolism at a frightening rate.
♣    Our bones start to lose density - osteoporosis.
♣    We start to put on more body fat.
♣    Our joints can degenerate which can lead to arthritis.

Arthritis and osteoporosis cost the Australian government $4.6 billion in the 2000 – 2001 financial year. In 2004 – 2005 18% of the population reported suffering from these conditions. Osteoporosis is caused by this loss of bone density. Once our bones reach a certain point of density (or lack thereof) we are classified as having osteoporosis.

What happens to you

The ill effects of osteoporosis can include degeneration of the spine and an increased risk of bone fractures. I’m sure that none of us want to be diagnosed with this in older age.

Older individuals can look very skinny and frail due to the reduction of muscle mass. If measurements were taken, the older individual would have less lean body mass (muscle and bone) than an equally skinny younger person.

Unfortunately all of these processes can start as early as our 30s but come on quite slowly. This is both a blessing and a curse. We don’t wake up one morning unable to do the things we were able to yesterday, but on the other hand we sometimes don’t notice how far we’ve gone until we have slid too far down the slope.

What can we do to stop this?

Appropriate strength and aerobic training programs have been shown to slow down loss of both muscle mass and bone density. There is also evidence out there to suggest that loss of lean muscle mass can actually be reversed through strength training. Increasing our muscle mass will help to raise our metabolism and day to day tasks that require strength will become much easier. Slowing the rate of bone mineral loss will prolong, or even avoid, the onset of osteoporosis and will help us to be more resilient against bone fractures. Appropriate programs can also be designed to help aid balance and reduce the incidence of falls in the elderly. Here’s a scary fact: 24% of those over 50 who break their hip in a fall die within the next year. Isn’t that something that we should take measures to avoid?

So if properly designed exercise programs can help to slow, and in some cases reverse, the aging process; why are you still sitting there reading this? Get out there and start exercising. Your body will thank you for it.