Dieting Tips For An Overweight Horse
February 12, 2011 By
<!–[if gte mso 9]><xml> 800×600 </xml><![endif]–><!–[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false EN-NZ X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 </xml><![endif]–><!–[if gte mso 9]><xml> </xml><![endif]–> <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:”"; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”,”serif”; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;} @page WordSection1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} –> <!–[if gte mso 10]>
<style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:”"; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”,”serif”;}
</style>
<![endif]–>
Just as with humans, horses should strive to maintain an ideal weight. As is also the case with humans, it is often necessary to put your horse on a diet to drop a few unwanted pounds. The principles behind equine weight loss are the same as with human weight loss: do so healthily, slowly, steadily, and without starving.
Horses face many of the same issues we face when we are overweight. Carrying even a few extra pounds can put the horse’s total health in danger, and he or she can easily become more susceptible to breathing problems, hormone imbalances, injuries, and laminitis.
Starting The Diet
The first step to starting your horse on a diet is to determine the ideal weight for your animal. This number not only gives you a goal to strive for, it will also help you to figure how much food the horse should be fed on a daily basis.
Some simple guidelines for slow and steady weight loss are as follows: If the horse is still active and getting daily exercise, you should be feeding a minimum of one and a half percent of his or her current body weight, and as much as two percent of his or her ideal body weight in hay. If the horse is not getting regular exercise, or if he or she is confined to a stall or paddock area, you should feed anywhere from one to one and a half percent of his or her ideal body weight in hay.
Make sure you do not send your horse on a crash diet. If your horse is already on a reduced hay diet and not getting any grain, yet he or she is not losing any weight it can be tempting to reduce the food even further. You need to keep from doing this, as you could be affecting the animal’s metabolic rate, thus causing the horse to become resistant to the effects of insulin and become dependent upon fat stores in their bodies to feed their cells. When this happens (referred to as fat mobilization) the results can be so severe that organ damage can occur and the blood can become milky.
When you find yourself in the situation of a reduced calorie diet with little weight loss, it is important to check for underlying problems. We have all been around overweight people who claim they cannot lose weight due to a “glandular problem”. While most of us think “yeah right” when we hear this statement, the truth is it really could be the reason and the same could be true for your horse!
To determine if this is the case, take a bit of time and assess your horse for the following symptoms:
• Weight gain that began right after the horse reached maturity;
• Weight gain even on a diet that would not be sufficient to hold weight on a horse of a similar size;
• A fatty or hard crest on the neck that is present even if weight is lost elsewhere on the body;
• Other abnormal patches of fat in random patterns, sometimes appearing dimpled or resembling cellulite.
Other conditions such as insulin resistance and leptin resistance can be underlying causes of weight gain as well. If you suspect your horse may have any of these problems you should seek the advice of a veterinarian before starting any type of restricted diet.
What To Feed A Fat Horse
Hay should be your number feed for a horse that is overweight. That being said, it is extremely important that you choose the proper type of hay. Hay can vary a great deal in calories and sugar content. Bright green, tender cuts of hay, such as early alfalfa can really pack on the pounds. Coarser, or “stemmier”, cuts generally contain fewer calories and lower amounts of sugar. The best types of hay for weight loss include: meadow hays, prairie hays, timothy, orchard grass, and mature or late cuttings of Bermuda grass.
When trying to accomplish weight loss, grain should be omitted from your horse’s diet all together. You may be thinking that all of your horse’s nutrition comes from grain; however, this is simply not true. Grain can contain high amounts of fat and calories and really serves no purpose in an overweight horse’s daily diet. If you find your animal is in fact suffering from a metabolic problem, it is even more critical that you avoid feeding grain.
If you simply cannot stand the thought of only feeding your horse hay, or if he or she becomes unruly because others are getting grain, try feeding a healthier alternative. Beet pulp is low in calories, about the same amount as oats per pound; however since it needs to be soaked prior to feeding it can soak up about four times its dry measure. This means you can feed a good sized portion, while only providing a small amount of calories.
A great daily diet for a full sized horse is as follows: one pound (dry weight) of beet pulp divided into two feedings, mixed with two ounces of ground stabilized flax, and two ounces of rice bran. This makes for a diet that is well balanced, provides all the necessary nutrients, and provides enough fat (in the form of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids) to keep your horse happy. Adding the hay with a suitable mineral supplement is all you need to maintain optimal health.
Other Weight Loss Tips
Of course, just as it hold true with people, exercise plays a major role in a horse’s weight loss progress. A regular exercise plan not only helps the horse to burn calories, it also helps to balance hormone levels and increase metabolic function. This causes his or her muscle cells to become more sensitive to natural insulin, and better utilize the glucose needed for proper muscle function.
Limiting natural grazing and not allowing the horse to eat straw can further help with weight loss. Nature intended for a horse to graze in pasture, however nature did not intend for the horse to have an unlimited supply of fresh grass without having to travel miles a day to eat it. Try to limit the amount of grazing time each day by using a grazing muzzle or removing the horse from the pasture all together. While straw bedding may look unappealing to you, a horse loves it, and often munches on it without hesitation. Straw can have just as much sugar, and as many calories as grass hay and can really wreck a diet. Try switching to wood shavings or another type of bedding that will not encourage snacking.
Finally, refrain from feeding your horse treats. This may seem mean, or you may find it difficult to look into those big brown eyes and not give a snack, but in the long run your horse will be healthier from your will power. If you find you absolutely must feed a treat, opt for a very small amount of a low calorie food such as carrots, apples, or a handful of grapes.
<!–[if gte mso 9]><xml> 800×600 </xml><![endif]–><!–[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false EN-NZ X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 </xml><![endif]–><!–[if gte mso 9]><xml> </xml><![endif]–><!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:”"; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”,”serif”; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;} @page WordSection1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} –><!–[if gte mso 10]> <! /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:”"; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”,”serif”;} –> <!–[endif]–>
Just as with humans, horses should strive to maintain an ideal weight. As is also the case with humans, it is often necessary to put your horse on a diet to drop a few unwanted pounds. The principles behind equine weight loss are the same as with human weight loss: do so healthily, slowly, steadily, and without starving.
Horses face many of the same issues we face when we are overweight. Carrying even a few extra pounds can put the horse’s total health in danger, and he or she can easily become more susceptible to breathing problems, hormone imbalances, injuries, and laminitis.
Starting The Diet
The first step to starting your horse on a diet is to determine the ideal weight for your animal. This number not only gives you a goal to strive for, it will also help you to figure how much food the horse should be fed on a daily basis.
Some simple guidelines for slow and steady weight loss are as follows: If the horse is still active and getting daily exercise, you should be feeding a minimum of one and a half percent of his or her current body weight, and as much as two percent of his or her ideal body weight in hay. If the horse is not getting regular exercise, or if he or she is confined to a stall or paddock area, you should feed anywhere from one to one and a half percent of his or her ideal body weight in hay.
Make sure you do not send your horse on a crash diet. If your horse is already on a reduced hay diet and not getting any grain, yet he or she is not losing any weight it can be tempting to reduce the food even further. You need to keep from doing this, as you could be affecting the animal’s metabolic rate, thus causing the horse to become resistant to the effects of insulin and become dependent upon fat stores in their bodies to feed their cells. When this happens (referred to as fat mobilization) the results can be so severe that organ damage can occur and the blood can become milky.
When you find yourself in the situation of a reduced calorie diet with little weight loss, it is important to check for underlying problems. We have all been around overweight people who claim they cannot lose weight due to a “glandular problem”. While most of us think “yeah right” when we hear this statement, the truth is it really could be the reason and the same could be true for your horse!
To determine if this is the case, take a bit of time and assess your horse for the following symptoms:
• Weight gain that began right after the horse reached maturity;
• Weight gain even on a diet that would not be sufficient to hold weight on a horse of a similar size;
• A fatty or hard crest on the neck that is present even if weight is lost elsewhere on the body;
• Other abnormal patches of fat in random patterns, sometimes appearing dimpled or resembling cellulite.
Other conditions such as insulin resistance and leptin resistance can be underlying causes of weight gain as well. If you suspect your horse may have any of these problems you should seek the advice of a veterinarian before starting any type of restricted diet.
What To Feed A Fat Horse
Hay should be your number feed for a horse that is overweight. That being said, it is extremely important that you choose the proper type of hay. Hay can vary a great deal in calories and sugar content. Bright green, tender cuts of hay, such as early alfalfa can really pack on the pounds. Coarser, or “stemmier”, cuts generally contain fewer calories and lower amounts of sugar. The best types of hay for weight loss include: meadow hays, prairie hays, timothy, orchard grass, and mature or late cuttings of Bermuda grass.
When trying to accomplish weight loss, grain should be omitted from your horse’s diet all together. You may be thinking that all of your horse’s nutrition comes from grain; however, this is simply not true. Grain can contain high amounts of fat and calories and really serves no purpose in an overweight horse’s daily diet. If you find your animal is in fact suffering from a metabolic problem, it is even more critical that you avoid feeding grain.
If you simply cannot stand the thought of only feeding your horse hay, or if he or she becomes unruly because others are getting grain, try feeding a healthier alternative. Beet pulp is low in calories, about the same amount as oats per pound; however since it needs to be soaked prior to feeding it can soak up about four times its dry measure. This means you can feed a good sized portion, while only providing a small amount of calories.
A great daily diet for a full sized horse is as follows: one pound (dry weight) of beet pulp divided into two feedings, mixed with two ounces of ground stabilized flax, and two ounces of rice bran. This makes for a diet that is well balanced, provides all the necessary nutrients, and provides enough fat (in the form of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids) to keep your horse happy. Adding the hay with a suitable mineral supplement is all you need to maintain optimal health.
Other Weight Loss Tips
Of course, just as it hold true with people, exercise plays a major role in a horse’s weight loss progress. A regular exercise plan not only helps the horse to burn calories, it also helps to balance hormone levels and increase metabolic function. This causes his or her muscle cells to become more sensitive to natural insulin, and better utilize the glucose needed for proper muscle function.
Limiting natural grazing and not allowing the horse to eat straw can further help with weight loss. Nature intended for a horse to graze in pasture, however nature did not intend for the horse to have an unlimited supply of fresh grass without having to travel miles a day to eat it. Try to limit the amount of grazing time each day by using a grazing muzzle or removing the horse from the pasture all together. While straw bedding may look unappealing to you, a horse loves it, and often munches on it without hesitation. Straw can have just as much sugar, and as many calories as grass hay and can really wreck a diet. Try switching to wood shavings or another type of bedding that will not encourage snacking.
Finally, refrain from feeding your horse treats. This may seem mean, or you may find it difficult to look into those big brown eyes and not give a snack, but in the long run your horse will be healthier from your will power. If you find you absolutely must feed a treat, opt for a very small amount of a low calorie food such as carrots, apples, or a handful of grapes.
Top Tips to Treat Pain After Exercise
January 28, 2011 By
We all get stiffer after unusual exertion, and as we grow older we get stiffer more easily. Often the stiffness will be maximum on the second to fifth day after exercise. This creates a paradox. In order to stay in good physical shape we need regular exercise, which results in substantial amounts of pain and stiffness from time to time. To relieve this discomfort, we have to increase our exercise, which inevitably triggers at least a few episodes of increased pain.
This pain is not a message to eliminate the exercise program. Rather, it is a suggestion from your body to proceed more carefully with a gentle exercise progression. So don’t be discouraged by pain after exercise. Listen to the pain message and work with it. On the other hand, people with osteoarthritis have pain during exercise that usually is relieved by rest. If you have significant arthritis, the pain after exercise may be localized to the joints and not the muscles. If the pain lasts more than two hours after you have stopped exercising, you may need to rethink your exercise program. You don’t need the doctor unless signs of severe injury or nerve damage are present or unless the problem continues to bother you quite a bit for quite a while. This problem is a signal to review your home exercise program.
Almost always, pain after exercise indicates that you have disregarded one of the principles of a sound exercise program. Let’s review them. Exercise should not make you hurt very much. Don’t try to exercise through pain. If you hurt after exercise, that exercise is a bit too much for you right now. Exercise programs should be daily. The weekend gardener is not going to become fit or able, may have reinjury, and will experience increased pain and stiffness on the days after gardening. Exercise programs should be gently graded. No day’s activities should be more than a 10% increase over the typical day’s activity. Slow and steady progression is essential to success. Exercise programs should emphasize smooth actions, as with swimming, walking, or bicycling, until good conditioning is achieved. Jerky exercises with incompletely trained muscles are likely to result in reinjury.
Exercise programs should emphasize suppleness and muscle tone, not absolute strength. The stress of lifting heavy objects, squeezing balls, and so forth is likely to damage an already injured joint. Swimming easily is an excellent exercise. Exercise should be preceded by a warm-up period in which the joints, ligaments, and muscles are stretched gently. The parts to be used should be physically warm, on a cold day, wear warm clothing. Exercise programs are in addition, not instead of, prescribed medications. Exercise programs always have setbacks in which there are periods of increased pain. This does not mean that the idea is wrong. Back off just a little bit and begin again more gently.
Related Exercise Articles
Top 7 Tips to Develop an Effective Exercise Program for Weight Control
January 27, 2011 By
Regular physical exercise is an absolute must for a healthy metabolism. Exercise is also an effective strategy for weight control because it causes a favourable shift in body composition, increasing muscle mass and decreasing body fat. The greater your muscle mass, the greater your fat-burning capacity. When you diet to lose weight, most of the reduction comes from loss of water. In addition, dieting lowers your basal metabolic rate (BMR). In other words, your body slows down to compensate for the reduced caloric intake, thus keeping your weight basically the same. Exercise has been shown to compensate for a reduced BMR due to caloric restriction, and it helps your body lower your set point, the weight to which your body naturally returns. Here are some tips to help you develop an exercise program.
1. Make It Fun
If you like what you are doing, you have a better chance of sticking with it. Find a workout buddy and plan to exercise together. For example, you and your neighbours might enjoy taking brisk walks early in the morning or in the evening.
2. Stay Motivated
If you are goal-oriented, set realistic targets for your exercise – more laps, more lifts and keep track of how you are doing. Reward yourself when you reach your goal. Vary your routine to avoid boredom. Read exercise books or magazines for tips on getting the most out of your program and learning other exercise strategies.
3. Exercise Regularly
You need to commit to your exercise plan. Exercise at least three times a week throughout the year. Some people find it easier to exercise every day, so that it becomes a habit. With strength-training exercise, however, it is recommended taking a day off to allow your body to recover.
4. Recognize Exercise
You need to recognize the importance of physical exercise. Make regular exercise a top priority in your life.
5. Give Yourself Time To Exercise
To do you the most good, exercise must cause an increase in your heart rate and must be sustained for a minimum of twenty minutes. It is recommended that exercising in this way three times a week is usually enough to provide you with benefits. In fact, more frequent exercise of longer duration is even better. Aerobic exercise-movement that increases utilization of oxygen includes walking briskly, jogging, bicycling, cross-country skiing, swimming, aerobic dance, and racquet sports. Strength-training exercise, such as lifting weights, is just as critical to long-term weight control as aerobic exercise because it is able to build muscle mass.
6. Before Starting, Consult Your Physician
This is especially important if you are over forty years of age. Suddenly launching into vigorous exercise when you are not used to it can cause dangerous strain on your heart. Regardless of your age, before exercising see a physician if you are a smoker of if your have known heart disease, high blood pressure, or irregular heartbeat. Consult a doctor if you become breathless with moderate exertion or if you experience pain or pressure in your chest, arm, teeth, jaw, or neck during exercise.
7. Monitor Exercise Intensity
This is determined by measuring your heart rate (beats per minute). To check your pulse, put your index and middle fingers on the opposite wrist or on your neck just below the jaw. Count the number of beats in twenty seconds and multiply by three. This is your resting heart rate per minute. Your goal should be to increase your heart rate to within the appropriate training rate range for the duration of aerobic exercise (say twenty minutes). The training rate depends on your age. To determine your rate range, subtract your age from 185 to get the top of the range, and subtract another twenty to determine the bottom range. Thus a forty-year-old would have a target training heart rate of 125 to 145 beats per minute. Do not exceed the higher figure in this range.
Related Exercise Articles
Stomach Muscle Exercises Tips
January 11, 2011 By
Lots of folk need a six-pack gut, and that’s keeping the exercise equipment and diet industries going, but the stomach muscle exercises often recommended can be ineffectual and hazardous. Does that imply there are not good stomach exercises for women and men out there? No – but you may run across a large amount of misconceptions about which stomach toning exercises for great ab workouts and which aren’t very effective at all. Let’s have a look at some of the things you might not know about abdominal exercises.
While good stomach muscle exercises will help you burn calories all over, and can build the muscles under your fat to tighten things overall, there’s no such thing as spot reduction ( unless you’re searching for surgery ). Stomach muscle exercises will get you in better shape, cause your gut fat to sag less, and encourage good posture ( making us look a lot thinner ). However, no stomach muscle exercisesare a quick solution or wizardry bullet, and you can’t depend on them alone.
Folks on magazine covers who have them haven’t been helped by ab exercises – it has been done with Photoshop. That is because unless you’re purposefully sucking it in, your intestinal muscles just are not flat. Flabby muscles sag, and after good stomach muscle exercises, fit muscles are gradually rounded. And , the older you are, the more probable you are to have a little bit of rounding to your gut.
As well as doing good stomach muscle exercises, ensure you point your tailbone toward the will make your head balanced on your backbone and hold your shoulders back. You’ll be amazed at the difference better posture makes, even before you do stomach muscle exercises.
Effective stomach muscle exercises – Not just an impossible dream! However, not each person is going to want the same ab workouts. The abdomen reacts to training with weights just like other muscles, and you do not need to do too much right now. Don’t try a hundred crunches or other stomach muscle exercises. Instead, do your gut muscle exercises in groups of about twenty repetitions for more efficient results.
Just working your stomach throughout the day, or doing stomach muscle exercises like the pelvic lean while sitting at work can give you better, stronger intestinal muscles. There are some other stomach muscle exercises you can do to boost things, too.
Typical crunches are a well-liked choice, but don’t over do them or you might cause back issues. When you choose effective stomach muscle exercises and do them continually, you are doing one of the most vital things you can for your fitness.
If normal stomach muscle exercises are not enough, there’s something else you can do. They get a lot tougher, and you will get the chance to work on balance, too. That means that all of your body is working in concert – a great step in the direction of overall fitness, not just stomach muscle exercises. Live well and healthily and find the right stomach muscle exercises for you. You’ll be better looking, better feeling, and much healthier all over in no time, as long as you are ready to stick with it and you don’t fall victim to any of those fake fast fixes.
Check out this site: All About Stomach Toning Exercises.
Training Routines – Basics Tips on Exercise Intensity And Training Routines
January 10, 2011 By
You know, there are alot of exercise and training routines and they contain principles that allow them to help people maintain a healthy lifestyle. There may be alot of different terms and meanings, but the basics behind these exercises and fitness programs are the same. Knowing just what they are and applying them in your own fitness regimen can help make it more effective in showing you the results that you need.
Some exercise differences show you how effective they are in the exercise routines that you follow, and would really depend on a couple different factors. How you may work over these factors in your exercise and fitness will help determine how fast you can lose weight, improve stamina or increase muscle mass. Here are the four different exercises that you should consider when trying to develop your own fitness program.
The frequency refers to how often you exercise and will allow you to develop an exercise regimen that you can go into for a certain period on, let us say, a weekly basis. If you plan to work out for one or two days in a week, you can speed up getting results by adding another day of exercise for the week.
Exercise Intensity refers to the level of physical activity of your exercise program. How hard you are willing to push yourself on each and every exercise session is also a factor, and will have great effectiveness of an exercise and training program. For example, determining between bouts of jogging running and walking on one session would have different results. Doing more running rather than short bouts of walking or jogging would certainly have a different result from walking through each session most of the time.
The types of exercises that are included in your regimen. There are different types of exercises that you can choose from and with each type being able to build up certain parts of your body better than the other. Creating a better knowledge of these types of exercises can help you develop a certain routines that can be focused on improving targeted portions of your body.
The duration of and exercise refers to the amount of time that is spent in doing the exercises. How long you remain in doing all of your exercise sessions and will ultimately determine how fast or how slow you can get results. It may also be required to determine the durations of the other exercises in your program along with other exercise routines in order to either avoid injury or improve results.
These exercise and training routines can be used to develop many different exercise programs that would allow you to get better performance as well as results. You might be able to start with using them in a way that you feel comfortable with. Along the way, you can then change any or all of these to either increase it’s effectiveness as well as to reach your target results. These also can be used to really just to make the exercise program even more interesting and fun once they start to become too routine. Learn to mix it up..
More Exercise Articles
Exercising Tips for Diabetics
January 1, 2011 By
Exercise is essential for any diabetic since it not only lowers blood sugar, but also improves the ability of the body to use glucose. Aside from dieting, it is the most important thing you can do to help yourself fight diabetes. There are three basic types of exercises to aide in controlling the disease: stretching, aerobic, and anaerobic.
Stretching
Stretching should take place both before and after exercise. It involves holding positions that lengthen the muscles and is considered an exercise on its own because of the various benefits it provides.
Advantages of stretching:
Improves posture Improves circulation Improves flexibility Improves equilibrium and coordination Relieves stress Can reduce lower back pain
Aerobic Exercise
Despite what physical condition you are in, there is an aerobic exercise suitable for you since aerobic exercise can be done at various levels of intensity. This is the type of activity where you exercise without becoming short of breath. It allows you to perform continuous and rhythmic movements of the major muscles in the arms, legs, and hips to get your heart pumping and your lungs working while maintaining the ability to breathe in as much oxygen as your body requires. Aerobic exercise is often associated with being a ?fat burner.? This is because after about 20 minutes of aerobic exercise, the body begins to use its stored fat as fuel, and if done regularly, aerobic exercise can help speed up your metabolism.
Types of aerobic activities include:
Walking Running Dancing Jumping rope Biking Stair climbing Swimming Water aerobics Basketball Roller skating
Doctors recommend 30 minutes of aerobic exercise each day to stay healthy and fit. Exercise should begin at levels of low-intensity and can gradually increase over time.
Advantages of aerobic exercise includes:
Cardiovascular benefits Increases stamina and energy Increases good (HDL) cholesterol Helps you sleep Relieves stress Helps regulate and reduce body fat Psychological benefits
Anaerobic Exercise
Anaerobic exercise is exercising to the point where you become out of breath. This occurs when your body needs more oxygen than you are able to supply. Generally, it consists of short bursts of energy followed by rest periods, working one part of the body at a time. Although you will become tired quickly, you will also use up blood sugar. This is also known as ?resistance exercise? as one performs movements against resistance with the focus of increasing muscle mass, which assists you in using more calories and leads to a decrease in insulin resistance.
Types of anaerobic activities include:
Sprinting Weight lifting Push ups Sit ups
Advantages of anaerobic exercise includes:
Increases insulin sensitivity Lowers blood pressure Raises ?good? cholesterol levels and lowers ?bad? ones Increases strength of bones, joints, and muscles Lowers overall blood sugar readings Increases muscle mass over fat to help lose inches
Remain Hydrated
Be sure to drink 16 ounces of water one hour before exercise, 8 ounces 15 minutes prior, and 4 ounces every 15-20 minutes during exercise. Since exercise can cause significant fluid loss, staying hydrated is especially important when you are out in the sun. Be sure to choose your beverage wisely, staying away from caffeine, and only drinking sports drinks when exercising more than an hour or if the weather causes you to sweat more than normal.
Pay Attention to Your Feet
Wear comfortable and well-fitting shoes and natural-fiber socks. Check your feet before and after activities for any potential damage such as cuts, sores, or blisters.
Related Exercise Articles
The 100 Calorie Diet review – Top Ten Diet Tips
December 17, 2010 By
The 100 Calorie Diet’s Top Ten Diet Tips and Eating Habits
The 100 Calorie Diet gives you the top 10 diet tips in the world! Let’s take a look:
Diet Tip #1
Diet one happy meal at a time, one day at a time. Anyone can be on a diet for a day! After you’ve had breakfast, you can look forward to lunch and after lunch you can look forward to dinner. Enjoy each meal as it comes but don’t get sidetracked. Do not think about yesterday, do not think about tomorrow. Think in terms of today only. This is a very powerful tip – use it!
Diet Tip #2
When planning your day, stay close to what you would normally have, just choose the items within your calorie range for that meal. If cereal is what you like for breakfast, by all means have cereal. But if you like to have doughnuts, you can have 2 glazed doughnuts for about 400 calories. If you like to have a salad for lunch, have a salad. But if you like to go to Burger King®, have a Whopper Jr.® and a cola. If your usual dinner is baked chicken and vegetables, enjoy. But if you like pizza, have 2 slices of pizza with a beer. With The 100 Calorie Diet, you will lose weight while still eating the foods you love!
Diet Tip #3
Don’t think in terms of “diet” foods. Remember no foods are forbidden. If you start out The 100 Calorie Diet trying to deprive yourself of the foods you love, you are setting yourself up for failure. Plan your meals with the foods you enjoy, just make sure to have the measured portion of it.
Diet Tip #4
Eat more to lose weight. If you are one of those persons who like to eat large quantities of food, then study The 100 Calorie Food Counter to see what foods you like that give you the largest quantity for 100 calories. Refer to the FREE foods and FREE recipe sections to make a list of the FREE foods you enjoy.
Diet Tip #5
I know you’ve heard it a million times and you may be sick of it, but here goes. Make sure to drink your water. How much? As a minimum, you need to drink ten, 8 oz. glasses of water per day. Why? When you drink enough water you’re much less likely to be hungry. And interestingly enough, the more water you drink, the less water weight you will keep on your body. More importantly, water helps to filter out impurities in your blood and carries waste to the kidneys for elimination. Water is wonderful for your skin, lubricates your joints and cushions your organs. You need water to keep your brain functioning properly and to transport nutrients in and out of cells. Convinced yet? We hope so! The next question is what kind of water? Drink only bottled or filtered water. Also try Perrier®, club soda, seltzer or sparkling waters with a twist of lemon or lime. Learn to love water!
Diet Tip #6
Don’t let the “Fat Monster” talk you into something you don’t really want to do. You know what your pitfalls are and what that Fat Monster will try to talk you in to. He may tell you to sneak off to Dunkin’ Donuts® and eat doughnuts until you’re stuffed or he may tell you “Who cares anyway?”, so watch out for him! He will show up no doubt, but when he does be prepared. The minute he tries to talk you into something you don’t want to do, say NO or STOP or X him out in your mind. Don’t let him take control because if you do, he’ll win.
Diet Tip #7
It’s best to plan three meals a day at the same time of day if possible. This is a physical as well as mental way of eating which you should make a habit of for the rest of your life. If you want to have a snack, make sure it’s a planned snack.
Diet Tip #8
Keep a positive attitude and congratulate yourself for taking the first step towards a thin life. Keep negativity out of your life whether it’s your own negativity or others’.
Diet Tip #9
Follow your plan but don’t make it a big stressful deal. Don’t make dieting more difficult than it actually is.
Diet Tip #10
Keep yourself and your mind busy. Don’t fall into the trap of eating out of boredom. Start a new hobby, take some classes, make new friends, read a book.
Find out more about this brand new diet breakthrough that is sweeping the country.
“The 100 Calorie Diet”
