Fitness & Nutrition Blog

What Is Fitness?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), physical fitness is defined as ‘the ability to carry out daily tasks with vigor and alertness, without undue fatigue, and with ample energy to enjoy leisure-time pursuits and respond to emergencies.’ Based on this definition, fitness involves everything from getting out of bed to hiking to performing CPR.

In order to complete all of these tasks, one must consistently address their fitness levels. This requires proper conditioning through both structured exercise and leisurely activities. ( https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-fitness-definition-components-types-examples.html)

Why Is Fitness Important?

To put it simply, physical activity and exercise is important for everyone. Children, adolescents, and adults of all ages need regular physical activity. Physical activity promotes good health, and you should stay active throughout all stages of your life regardless of your body type or BMI.

Understanding the benefits of physical fitness and knowing how active you should be can help you maintain good health and improve your overall quality of life. Here are a few benefits of regular physical activity that demonstrate the importance of physical fitness. (https://www.mana.md/the-importance-of-physical-fitness/)

How Does Sexual Health Relate To Fitness?

There is a proven direct link between sex and exercise. When you exercise, the brain produces endorphins that stimulate the release of sex hormones. These hormones reduce your heart rate, improve digestion, lower blood pressure and cortisol levels and relax the body. Oh, and you also might just feel primed and ready for a little one-on-one time in the bedroom.

If sweating it out in the great outdoors or pumping iron in the gym sounds like the worst way to rev up your sex drive, there is good news: Sex is a workout. Spend enough time on foreplay and swapping positions, and you can torch as many as 100 calories over the course of a 30-minute session. During the act, you will experience an increase in metabolic rate, heart rate, muscle strength – and you may even relieve some stress. If you really want to make sex an effective workout, consider adding a few novelty items to your time in the bedroom, such as the sexercise ball, which adds a dynamic core workout to the mix.

(https://www.foxnews.com/health/how-working-out-can-improve-your-sex-life)

What is nutrition?

Nutrition is the study of how food and drink affects our bodies with a special regard to the essential nutrients necessary to support human health. It looks at the physiological and biochemical processes involved in nourishment and how substances in food provide energy or are converted into body tissues. These nutrients which are the source of energy for our bodies are classed as: carbohydrates, fats, fibre, minerals, proteins, vitamins, and water. Good nutrition means obtaining the right amount of nutrients from healthy foods in the right combinations. An important part of the study of nutrition is looking at the diseases that can result from malnutrition and the role food plays in the development of chronic disease.

Why nutrition is important:

Good nutrition is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Combined with physical activity, your diet can help you to reach and maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of chronic diseases (like heart disease and cancer), and promote your overall health.

How nutrition can affect your Sexual Health:

But a good diet can help boost your libido and ensure your body is working well. A poor diet can lead to a host of health issues, which may negatively effect your sex life. For example, erectile dysfunction is often linked to obesity and diabetes, which can be caused by a poor diet.

https://www.schoolofhealth.com/nutrition-courses/what-is-nutrition/ https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/eat-healthy/importance-of-good-nutrition/index.html#:~:text=Good%20nutrition%20is%20an%20important,and%20promote%20your%20overall%20health. https://www.healthline.com/health/food-and-sex#:~:text=Food%20and%20sex&text=But%20a%20good%20diet%20can,caused%20by%20a%20poor%20diet.

Types of Workouts:

Research has shown that it’s important to get all four types of exercise: endurance (aerobic), strength, balance, and flexibility. Each one has different benefits.

Aerobic (Endurance)

Aerobic exercises increase your breathing and heart rate and are the main component of overall fitness programs. They keep the circulatory system and lungs healthy, can stave off diabetes and heart disease and help you build up endurance. Some common aerobic activities include:

• A brisk walk
• Jogging
• Climbing the stairs
• Playing tennis
• Dancing
• Biking
• Doing yard work like raking, digging and gardening
• Swimming laps

Safety tips

• Do a little light activity, such as easy walking, before and after your endurance activities to warm up and cool down.
• Listen to your body: endurance activities should not cause dizziness, chest pain or pressure, or a feeling like heartburn.
• Be sure to drink liquids when doing any activity that makes you sweat. If your doctor has told you to limit your fluids, be sure to check before increasing the amount of fluid you drink while exercising.
• If you are going to be outdoors, be aware of your surroundings.
• Dress in layers so you can add or remove clothes as needed for hot and cold weather.
• To prevent injuries, use safety equipment, such as a helmet when bicycling.

Strength

These are important for keeping your bones and muscles strong and helping older adults maintain their independence. Strength training is beneficial in reducing falls and helping you do everyday activities that require lifting, such as carrying groceries. Some examples of strength training include:

• Lifting free weights

1. Try to do strength exercises for all of your major muscle groups at least 2 days per week, but don’t exercise the same muscle group on any 2 days in a row. If you’re just starting, you might need to use 1- or 2-pound weights, or no weight at all. Your body needs to get used to strength exercises. You can use common objects from your home, such as bottled water or soup cans. Or, you can use the strength-training equipment at a fitness center or gym. Use light weights the first week, then gradually add more. Starting out with weights that are too heavy can cause injuries. Use the proper form for safety. To prevent injury, don’t jerk or

thrust weights into position. Use smooth, steady movements. Avoid “locking” your arm and leg joints in a tightly straightened position.

• Using resistance machines at the gym
• Using resistance bands to leverage your own body weight in building strength

2. Resistance bands are stretchy elastic bands that come in several strengths, from light to heavy. You can use them in some strength exercises instead of weights. If you are a beginner, try exercising without the band or use a light band until you are comfortable. Add a band or move on to a stronger band when you can do two sets of 10 to 15 repetitions easily. Hold on to the band tightly (some bands have handles) or wrap it around your hand or foot to keep it from slipping and causing possible injury. Do the exercises in a slow, controlled manner, and don’t let the band snap back.

Safety tips

• Don’t hold your breath during strength exercises and breathe regularly.
• Breathe out as you lift or push, and breathe in as you relax.
• Talk with your doctor if you are unsure about doing a particular exercise

Flexibility

Though not part of the CDC’s official recommendations for maintaining good physical health, flexibility exercises can keep your body limber and help you maintain a wide range of motion. This is important because range of motion is often limited by things like arthritis. Here are some ways to improve your flexibility:

• Stretching various parts of the body

1. Try the calf stretch exercise. Stand facing a wall slightly farther than arm’s length from the wall, feet shoulder-width apart. Step forward with the right leg and bend the right knee. Keeping both feet flat on the floor, bend the left knee slightly until you feel a stretch in your left calf muscle. Hold the position for 10 to 30 seconds, and then return to the starting position. Repeat with the left leg.
2. Try the ankle stretch exercise. Sit securely toward the edge of a sturdy, armless chair. Stretch your legs out in front of you. With your heels on the floor, bend your ankles to point the toes toward you. Hold the position for 10 to 30 seconds. Bend your ankles to point toes away from you and hold for 10 to 30 seconds.

• Doing yoga

Safety tips

• Stretch when your muscles are warmed up.
• Stretch after endurance or strength exercises.
• Don’t stretch so far that it hurts.
• Always remember to breathe normally while holding a stretch.
• Talk with your doctor if you are unsure about a particular exercise.

Balance

Practicing and improving balance is important for older adults because it can strengthen the body’s core and help prevent falls. Here are some good balance exercises:

• Heel-to-toe walking – Try the heel-to-toe walk. As you walk, put the heel of one foot just in front of the toes of your other foot. Your heel and toes should touch or almost touch.
• Standing on one foot – Try standing on one foot, then the other. If at first you need support, hold on to something sturdy. Work your way up to doing this movement without support. Get up from a chair without using your hands or arms.
• Practicing tai chi poses – a “moving meditation” that involves shifting the body slowly, gently, and precisely, while breathing deeply.

Safety Tips

• Have a sturdy chair or a person nearby to hold on to if you feel unsteady.
• Talk with your doctor if you are unsure about a particular exercise.

Example of exercise you can do: https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/5-workouts-every-type-guy/ https://www.realbuzz.com/articles-interests/fitness/article/the-top-10-best-exercises/

Types of Diets

There are many weight loss diets out there. Some focus on reducing your appetite, while others restrict calories, carbs, or fat.

The paleo diet claims that you should eat the same foods that your hunter-gatherer ancestors ate before agriculture developed. How it works: The paleo diet emphasizes whole foods, lean protein, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, while discouraging processed foods, sugar, dairy, and grains. Some more flexible versions of the paleo diet also allow for dairy like cheese and butter, as well as tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes.

The Mediterranean Diet is an active lifestyle, weight control, and a diet low in red meat, sugar and saturated fat and high in produce, nuts and other healthful foods. How it works: Because this is an eating pattern – not a structured diet – you’re on your own to figure out how many calories you should eat to lose or maintain your weight, what you’ll do to stay active and how you’ll shape your Mediterranean menu. The Mediterranean diet pyramid should help get you started. The pyramid emphasizes eating fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, olive oil, and flavorful herbs and spices; fish and seafood at least a couple of times a week; and poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt in moderation, while saving sweets and red meat for special occasions. Top it off with a splash of red wine (if you want), remember to stay physically active and you’re set.

The vegan diet restricts all animal products for ethical, environmental, or health reasons. How it works: Veganism is the strictest form of vegetarianism. In addition to eliminating meat, it eliminates dairy, eggs,

and animal-derived products, such as gelatin, honey, albumin, whey, casein, and some forms of vitamin D3.

The DASH Diet, which stands for dietary approaches to stop hypertension, is promoted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to do exactly that: stop (or prevent) hypertension, aka high blood pressure. It emphasizes the foods you’ve always been told to eat (fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy), which are high in blood pressure-deflating nutrients like potassium, calcium, protein and fiber. How it works: DASH also discourages foods that are high in saturated fat, such as fatty meats, full-fat dairy foods and tropical oils, as well as sugar-sweetened beverages and sweets. Following DASH also means capping sodium at 2,300 milligrams a day, which followers will eventually lower to about 1,500 milligrams. Starting DASH doesn’t mean making drastic changes overnight. Instead, begin by making whatever small changes seem most manageable to you. For example:

• Add one vegetable or fruit serving to every meal.
• Introduce two or more meat-free meals each week.
• Use herbs and spices to make food tastier without the salt.
• Snack on almonds or pecans instead of a bag of chips.
• Switch white flour to whole-wheat flour when possible.
• Take a 15-minute walk after lunch or dinner (or both).

Low-carb diets have been popular for decades — especially for weight loss. There are several types of low-carb diets, but all involve limiting carb intake to 20–150 grams per day. How it works: Low-carb diets emphasize unlimited amounts of protein and fat while severely limiting your carb intake. When carb intake is very low, fatty acids are moved into your blood and transported to your liver, where some of them are turned into ketones. Your body can then use fatty acids and ketones in the absence of carbs as its primary energy source.

The Dukan diet is a high-protein, low-carb weight loss diet split into four phases — two weight loss phases and two maintenance phases. How it works: The weight loss phases are primarily based on eating unlimited high-protein foods and mandatory oat bran. The other phases involve adding non-starchy vegetables followed by some carbs and fat. Later on, there will be fewer and fewer pure protein days to maintain your new weight.

An ultra-low-fat diet restricts your consumption of fat to under 10% of daily calories. Generally, a low-fat diet provides around 30% of its calories as fat. Studies reveal that this diet is ineffective for weight loss in the long term. How it works: An ultra-low-fat diet contains 10% or fewer calories from fat. The diet is mostly plant-based and has a limited intake of animal products. Therefore, it’s generally very high in carbs — around 80% of calories — and low in protein — at 10% of calories.

The Atkins diet is the most well-known low-carb weight loss diet. Its proponents insist that you can lose weight by eating as much protein and fat as you like, as long as you avoid carbs. The main reason why low-carb diets are so effective for weight loss is that they reduce your appetite. How it works: The Atkins diet is split into four phases. It starts with an induction phase, during which you eat under 20 grams of carbs per day for two weeks. The other phases involve slowly reintroducing healthy carbs back into your diet as you approach your goal weight.

The HCG diet is an extreme diet meant to cause very fast weight loss of up to 1–2 pounds (0.45–1 kg) per day. Its proponents claim that it boosts metabolism and fat loss without inducing hunger (82Trusted Source, 83Trusted Source). HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is a hormone present at high levels during early pregnancy.

Examples of other diets you may want to try: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/diet-nutrition/a31003763/best-diets-2020/ https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/food/weight-loss/a707623/best-diets-to-lose-weight/

Sources: https://www.captel.com/2013/10/learn-four-different-types-exercise/ https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-weight-loss-diets-reviewed#section2 https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/diet-nutrition/a31003763/best-diets-2020/ https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/four-types-exercise-can-improve-your-health-and-physical-ability https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/mediterranean-diet https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/dash-diet