Juicing Is The Path To Health

Warmer weather is just around the corner and many of us are evaluating our diets and looking to make healthy changes. Who are we kidding? We are looking to lose some of those winter pounds that piled on over the last few months so that we will be swimsuit ready!

Juicing and juice detox diets are all over the news and in all the magazines. Everyone is crazy for juicing! I don't care for drinking green stuff but figured I would do my research before deciding to get on the juicing bandwagon. I prefer a great glass of fresh squeezed orange juice but could be convinced to try a juicing diet or cleanse if it would really help me lose weight. The problem has been finding experts that all agree it is great for you.

Proponents of juicing say that the benefits of juicing are that it reduces the risk of cancer, boosts your immune system and can help in weight loss. It is also a great way to get all of your vitamins and minerals during the day. Sounds great, right? Consider the opposing viewpoint.

Opponents say that juicing is not all it is cracked up to be. When you remove the skin from the fruit or vegetable, you are removing the vitamins and other nutrients that is in the skin and the juicer also removes the pulp, which contains lots of fiber. Additionally, opponents point out that if you are juicing all of your fruit, the one thing that stays are the calories. One has to be careful with too much fruit because it can be high in calories, especially if you are juicing three times a day. To cut the calories, juice experts counter that you can add in a few vegetables in with the fruit to cut the number of calories.

Whether you are a proponent or an opponent of juicing, I imagine the health benefits are found somewhere in between the two. While juicing can be a great way to get some of the vitamins and minerals, especially if you dislike fruits or vegetables, it cannot be a prolonged diet. Maybe for short periods of time, juicing can be a great way to limit your intake while still getting some vitamins and minerals. As a busy mom, I can definitely see juicing once in a while for my young kids (who really don't like vegetables) and hiding them in a 'fruit smoothie.' In my book, a few vitamins and minerals in the form of a 'fruit smoothie' (which has hidden vegetables in it) is better than none at all!

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Benefits of running

Benefits of running

          While there is the potential for injury in running, there are many benefits. Some of these benefits include potential weight loss, improved cardiovascular and respiratory health (reducing the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases), improved cardiovascular fitness, reduced total blood cholesterol, strengthening of bones, possible strengthening of the immune system and an improved self-esteem and emotional state. Running, like all forms of regular exercise, can effectively slow or reverse  the effects of aging.

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Running can assist people in losing weight, staying in shape and improving body composition. Running increases your metabolism. Different speeds and distances are appropriate for different individual health and fitness levels. For new runners, it takes time to get into shape. The key is consistency and a slow increase in speed and distance. While running, it is best to pay attention to how one's body feels. If a runner is gasping for breath or feels exhausted while running, it may be beneficial to slow down or try a shorter distance for a few weeks. If a runner feels that the pace or distance is no longer challenging, then the runner may want to speed up or run farther.

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Running can also have psychological benefits, as many participants in the sport report feeling an elated, euphoric state, often referred to as a "runner's high". Running is frequently recommended as therapy for people with clinical depression and people coping with addiction. A possible benefit may be the enjoyment of nature and scenery, which also improves psychological well-being.

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Squat (exercise)

Squat (exercise)

In strength training, the squat is a compound, full body exercise that trains primarily the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks, quads, hamstrings, as well as strengthening the bones, ligaments and insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body. Squats are considered a vital exercise for increasing the strength and size of the legs and buttocks, as well as developing core strength. Isometrically, the lower back, the upper back, the abdominals, the trunk muscles, the costal muscles, and the shoulders and arms are all essential to the exercise and thus are trained when squatting with the proper form. Squats are one of the three lifts in the strength sport of power lifting, together with dead lifts and bench press.

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The movement begins from a standing position. Weights are often used, either in the hand or as a bar braced across the trapezius muscle or rear deltoid muscle in the upper back. The movement is initiated by moving the hips back and bending the knees and hips to lower the torso and accompanying weight, then returning to the upright position.

Form:

Squats can be performed to varying depths. The competition standard is for the crease of the hip (top surface of the leg at the hip joint) to fall below the top of the knee; this is colloquially known as "parallel" depth. Confusingly, many other definitions for "parallel" depth abound, none of which represent the standard in organized powerlifting. From shallowest to deepest, these other standards are: bottom of hamstring parallel to the ground; the hip joint itself below the top of the knee, or femur parallel to the floor; and the top of the upper thigh (i.e., top of the quadriceps) below the top of the knee.

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Squatting below parallel qualifies a squat as deep while squatting above it qualifies as shallow. Some authorities caution against deep squats; though the forces on the ACL and PCL decrease at high flexion, compressive forces on the menisci and articular cartilages in the knee peak at these same high angles. This makes the relative safety of deep versus shallow squats difficult to determine.

As the body gradually descends, the hips and knees undergo flexion, the ankle dorsiflexes and muscles around the joint contract eccentrically, reaching maximal contraction at the bottom of the movement while slowing and reversing descent. The muscles around the hips provide the power out of the bottom. If the knees slide forward or cave in then tension is taken from the hamstrings, hindering power on the ascent. Returning to vertical contracts the muscles concentrically, and the hips and knees undergo extension while the ankle plantarflexes. In a weight bearing squat, the heels should always maintain contact with the floor throughout the movement. Weight shifting forward on to the toes, and off the heels creates unnecessary stress on the knee joint. This added stress may lead to inflammation or other overuse injuries.

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Running

Running

            Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground. This is in contrast to walking, where one foot is always in contact with the ground, the legs are kept mostly straight and the center of gravity vaults over the stance leg or legs in an inverted pendulum fashion.

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 A characteristic feature of a running body from the viewpoint of spring-mass mechanics is that changes in kinetic and potential energy within a stride occur simultaneously, with energy storage accomplished by springy tendons and passive muscle elasticity. The term running can refer to any of a variety of speeds ranging from jogging to sprinting.

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Weight training and Strength training

Weight Training and Strength training

            Weight training causes micro-tears to the muscles being trained, this is generally known as microtrauma. These micro-tears in the muscle contribute to the soreness felt after exercise, called delayed onset muscle soreness. It is the repair to these micro-trauma that result in muscle growth. Normally, this soreness becomes most apparent a day or two after a workout. However, as muscles become adapted to the exercises, soreness tends to decrease.

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Weight training aims to build muscle by prompting two different types of hypertrophy: sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and myofibrillar hypertrophy. Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy leads to larger muscles and so is favored by bodybuilders more than myofibrillar hypertrophy which builds athletic strength. 

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A bodybuilder will use sarcoplasmic hypertrophy most of the time, but may change to myofibrillar hypertrophy temporarily in order to move past a plateau. However, no real evidence has been provided to show that trainees ever reach this plateau, and rather was more of a hype created from muscular confusion.

Muscle growth

Bodybuilders use three main strategies to maximize muscle hypertrophy:

1) Strength training through weights or elastic/hydraulic resistance

2) Specialized nutrition, incorporating extra protein[citation needed] and supplements when necessary

3) Adequate rest, including sleep and recuperation between workouts

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Bodybuilding

Bodybuilding

            Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's musculature. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In competitive amateur and professional bodybuilding, bodybuilders appear in lineups doing specified poses, and later perform individual posing routines, for a panel of judges who rank competitors based on criteria such as symmetry, muscularity, and conditioning. Bodybuilders prepare for competition through a combination of dehydration, fat loss, oils, and tanning which make their muscular definition more distinct.

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Some well-known bodybuilders include Charles Atlas, Steve Reeves, Reg Park, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Lou Ferrigno. Currently, IFBB professional bodybuilder Phil Heath from the United States holds the title of Mr. Olympia. The winner of the annual Mr. Olympia contest is generally recognized as the world's top professional male bodybuilder.

Natural bodybuilding

Due to the growing concerns of the high cost, health consequences and illegal nature of steroids many organizations have formed in response and have deemed themselves "natural" bodybuilding competitions. In addition to the concerns noted, many promoters of bodybuilding have sought to shed the "freakish" reputation that the general public perceives of bodybuilding and have successfully introduced a more mainstream audience to the sport of bodybuilding by including competitors whose physiques appear much more attainable and realistic.

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In natural contests the testing protocol ranges among organizations from polygraph testing to urinalysis. Penalties also range from organization to organization from suspensions to strict bans from competition. It is also important to note that natural organizations also have their own list of banned substances and it is important to refer to each organization's website for more information about which substances are banned from competition.

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Benefits of Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercise

Benefits of Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercise

            Aerobic exercise is a physical exercise of relatively low intensity that depends primarily on the aerobic energy-generating process. Aerobic literally means "living in air", and refers to the use of oxygen to adequately meet energy demands during exercise via aerobic metabolism. Generally, light-to-moderate intensity activities that are sufficiently supported by aerobic metabolism can be performed for extended periods of time. The intensity should be between 60 and 85% of maximum heart rate.

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Aerobic exercise comprises innumerable forms. In general, it is performed at a moderate level of intensity over a relatively long period of time. For example, running a long distance at a moderate pace is an aerobic exercise, but sprinting is not. Playing singles tennis, with near-continuous motion, is generally considered aerobic activity. The benefits of anaerobic exercise are powerful, and anaerobic exercise needs to be a part of your fitness program. Anaerobic exercise is high intensity muscular activity that lasts for a short period of time.

Aerobic Exercise Benefits:

The benefits of doing regular aerobic exercise are:

1) Strengthening the muscles involved in respiration, to facilitate the flow of air in and out of the lungs

2) Strengthening and enlarging the heart muscle, to improve its pumping efficiency and reduce the resting heart rate, known as aerobic conditioning

3) Strengthening muscles throughout the body

4) Improving circulation efficiency and reducing blood pressure

5) Increasing the total number of red blood cells in the body, facilitating transport of oxygen

6) Improved mental health, including reducing stress and lowering the incidence of depression

7) Reducing the risk for diabetes.

As a result, aerobic exercise can reduce the risk of death due to cardiovascular problems. In addition, high-impact aerobic activities (such as jogging or jumping rope) can stimulate bone growth, as well as reduce the risk of osteoporosis for both men and women.

Anaerobic Exercise Benefits:

Anaerobic means "without oxygen," so your body does not use oxygen to help produce energy when you exercise anaerobically like it does when you exercise aerobically. The benefits of doing regular anaerobic exercise are:

1) Increase insulin sensitivity by increasing glucose uptake by muscles and improving the ability to store glucose

2) Contribute to healthy body composition of lean muscle and fat

3) Decrease body fat by raising metabolism

4) Increase muscle mass

5) Builds healthy bones, muscles and joints

6) Improves bone density and strength

7) Enhancing the speed at which muscles recover from high intensity exercise

Both Aerobic and Anaerobic can help decrease dose of glucose lowering medications or even need for glucose lowering medications. And they can lower glucose during exercise and for several hours after exercise. 

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