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No matter what your personal goal is – whether to improve your overall health, increase your skill in a particular sport or generally feel good about your body image – you should aim to achieve it in a holistic way.

Whole body fitness will improve your metabolic process (the rate at which your body burns calories for energy) and increase your stamina, suppleness and strength. It will also increase your self-esteem, contribute to your social environment, add pleasure and a sense of achievement to your life, help to reduce anxiety and tension, and promote greater health and well-being.

However, as you strive for personal fitness keep in mind that a well rounded exercise program should incorporate elements of stamina, suppleness and strength – key factors in achieving endurance, flexibility, and power.

Stamina is about keeping going. Poor stamina will leave you tired and feeling unfit, and unable to last the distance. Exercise programs designed to increase stamina are vital if you were training for a marathon or long-distance cycling. However, stamina is just as important and beneficial for activities, such as climbing a flight of stairs.

Suppleness helps you bend, stretch and twist your body, whatever your level of activity. A supple body will improve your agility while exercising, reduce the risk of injury, and equally, help you when you need to change a flat tyre on your car.

Strength occurs as a result of your body’s muscles and its levers working in relation to each other to create a push, pull or lift. Whether you are an Olympic weightlifter or simply just trying to get out of bed in the morning, you will require some form of strength that forms basic foundation to all movement.

Being fit is a continuous process that requires some determination and dedication; stop even for a few weeks, and you will soon be back where you started. A few hours of physical activity a week is really not a high price to pay for greater health and well-being – and you can make it as fun and as exciting as you see fit.

photo credit: Slisbet rules ok!

A warm up routine is an integral part of any exercise program as it prepares your body before a physical activity, and should never be overlooked or considered unnecessary by all means.

Between 10 and 15 minutes is the minimum time you should allow for your warm-up in order to prepare your body adequately prior to any physical activity. Whether you decide to go for a brisk walk, low intensity jog, or skip rope for a few minutes your warm-up routine will:

• Improve the function of your cardiovascular system
• Increase your range of motion along with your flexibility
• Gradually elevate your heart rate from resting to 40-60 percent of its maximum
• Increase the flow of synovial fluid to make your joints more pliable
• Reduce the risk of injury by providing blood flow to your muscles

Perform all warm-up exercises in a slow, smooth and balanced way, using actions that are similar to your intended routine. Include rhythmic exercises, such as swinging and rotating movements, and static exercises, such as stretching and reaching movements. Count each movement so that you don’t overdo any particular one.

The temperature of the warm-up environment should be preferably cool than cold, as this will affect the length of time it will take for your body to warm-up. Nevertheless, do not short cut your warm-up routine and settle for an injury, instead start off wearing adequate layers of clothing and as your body become warmer, remove a layer of clothing at a time and try to start your main program immediately after your warm-up routine.

photo credit: the_moog

How much sleep do we require to function and perform our daily tasks with efficiency? While 3-4 hours may suffice some individual, the majority of us mere mortals could do with a few more hours of shut eye each night! Maybe not as long as sleeping beauty, but face it, a few extra hours each night will make a difference to whether we wake up as Bruce Banner or the incredible Hulk!

Sleep is as important to the human body as food and water, but most of us just don’t get enough of it. Insufficient sleep or disruptions to the sleep-wake cycle (such as those that occur with shift work or traveling to a different time zone) cause the physiological state known as fatigue. A fatigued person is accident prone, judgment impaired and more likely to make mistakes and bad decisions.

Causes of sleep deprivation
Common causes of sleep deprivation include:

• Work – people who do shift work disrupt their sleep-wake cycles on a regular basis. Frequent travelers (for example, airline crew) tend to have erratic sleeping patterns.
• Illness – illnesses such as colds and tonsillitis can cause snoring, gagging and frequent waking, and have a direct effect on sleep by fragmenting it.
• Personal choice – some people don’t realise that the body needs adequate sleep. Instead of regularly going to bed at a reasonable hour, they prefer to stay up late to socialise, watch television or read a good book.
• Poor sleep hygiene – some people’s habits are disruptive; for example, drinking coffee or smoking cigarettes close to bedtime stimulates the nervous system and makes sleep less likely. Another common problem is lying in bed and worrying, rather than relaxing.
• The sleeping environment – sleep may be disrupted for a range of environmental reasons; for example, because the bedroom is too hot or cold, or because of noisy neighbours or a snoring bed partner.
• Sleep disorder – problems such as sleep apnoea, snoring and periodic limb movement disorder can disturb the person’s sleep many times during the night.
• Babies and toddlers – parents almost always experience sleep deprivation because their young children wake frequently in the night for feeding or comfort.

So, how much sleep is enough sleep?
We all require different hours of sleep, depending on age, physical activity levels, general health and other individual factors. Never the less, we can work towards improving our sleeping pattern by purposefully making a difference to or evening habits.

In the hours before bedtime avoid alcoholic and caffeinated beverages, and smoking. Try going to bed earlier each night, using relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing techniques, meditation to clear the mind of any worries or tasks, or take a warm bath.

Remember, sleep deprivation can occur over a period of months (sometimes years) before symptoms appear. If you continue to experience sleep deprivation you may need to seek professional assistance.

So do yourself a favour and take care of your sleeping needs – hit the mattress early tonight!

photo credit: Dawn Ashley

In today’s economic upheavals, downsizing, lay-off, merger and bankruptcies have cost hundreds of thousands of workers their jobs. Along with its emotional toll, prolonged job related stress can drastically affect your physical health. Constant preoccupation with job responsibilities often lead to erratic eating habits and not enough exercise, resulting in weight problems, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol levels.

While some stress may be unavoidable, there is more than one way to minimise the effects of stress on your body.

• Practice regular, deep breathing to help relax and focus your mind and refresh your mental outlook. Find 5 mins of personal time every day where you can sit quietly with your eyes closed and allow positive thoughts to flood and nourish your mind.
• Reward yourself with a vacation away from the office, away from your email and take a couple of weeks to disengage and unwind.
• Keep active with a regular exercise routine to help protect your heart, which is often the first to feel the effects of stress. An active lifestyle will keep you alert and resilient to the onset of stress.
• Avoid irregular sleeping patterns which will contribute to your stress. Instead, make an effort to be in bed at a particular time every night and avoid staying up til late watching TV. Come to think of it, get rid of the TV set in your bedroom altogether!!

Understanding why you feel stressed out is a first step towards better managing your health. As there is more than one way to deal with more than one type of stress, the above is merely a guide to get you started. As you become more accustomed to why you get stressed out, you will work out a set of actions to take that will work for you and your situation. But the most important thing you should not do when confronted with stress is, ignore the potential risks on your health.

photo credit: Army.mil

Making exercise part of your life might involve opening your mind to different possibilities. Imagine what it would be like to exercise because it feels good…not just because it helps you look good.

Making exercise a part of your life is achievable you just need to work at it!

Keep it simple
Start with the basics! Get out your calendar, find 20 mins of time on 3 different days to walk, run, go to the gym, whatever you want.

Be patient
You can’t start where you want to be. As your mind and body get conditioned for exercise, you’ll be able to create workouts to how your body responds.

Break the boredom
You will discover more activities you enjoy by varying the workouts on a weekly basis or even at every session. This will keep you motivated mentally and physically your body will love you for it.

Learn to love your body
Don’t be too harsh about your current appearance. Reminding yourself how amazing your body is, no matter how it looks will boost your confidence and keep you focus on the daily steps to achieving your goals.