Importance of Cooling Down

After vigorous aerobic exercise it is important to take 10 minutes or so to cool down gradually. Do not stop abruptly. For example, after a long run or jog, walk around and keep moving, rather than just stopping.

Cooling down properly (moving around) redistributes the blood that may have pooled in the extremities when you end your workout, and it prevents muscle stiffness because it allows the metabolic wastes to be worked out of your muscles.

Sleep Benefits

Sleep duration and patterns can affect sports training and performance. Most people need 7 or 8 hours of sleep, and your body functions at its best when you have regular sleep patterns, generally sleeping at about the same time every night. So if your workouts, practices, or competitions aren´t going well, consider whether you´re getting enough sleep.

Weight Training Twenty Minutes a Day

Take your time when toning your body. You can maximize the benefit of a biceps strength training exercise, a back strength training exercise, a chest strength training exercise, and so on, by doing them in small blocks of time every day. Although the USDA recommends at least thirty to sixty minutes each day, you don't have to spend all of it weight training—you probably do physical activity that counts as exercise every day (such as walking up stairs).

In your weight training routine, you don't have to work all your target areas at once. Instead, work one area a day for about 20 minutes. For example, your program might look like this:

• Monday: Chest and Back Weight Training for 20 min.
• Tuesday: Shoulder Strength Exercise for 20 min.
• Wednesday: Abs Weight Training for 20 min.
• Thursday: Biceps and Triceps Strength Training for 20 min.
• Friday: Grab Bag/Wild Card for 20 min.
• Saturday: Hip and Thigh Weight Training for 20 min.
• Sunday: Chest and Shoulder Strength Training for 20 min.

Choose a set of exercises for each day and follow your weight training program. You can vary it, especially as you add more reps to your arm curls, incline chest presses, shoulder presses, and kickbacks. Remember, you don't have to devote countless hours to working out to look and feel good.

Drinking Sodas

Coke or Pepsi? When you're training, neither. Go easy on the soft drinks in your sports nutrition diet.

There has been some indication that drinking a lot of carbonated sodas, especially cola, can have an adverse effect on bone strength in teenage girls. (This would probably also be true of diet sodas.)

This is very controversial and far from proven, but there is no doubt that it alters your body´s pH levels. But the possibility plus the proven fact that many people, especially teenagers, consume a large percentage of their calories as soft drinks, which have no nutritional value and displace a proper sports nutrition diet, should make you think twice about drinking a lot of soda. Like a sports nutition supplement, you don´t have to give up soda; just don´t make it a major part of your sports nutrition diet.

Overtraining

One indication of overtraining is your resting pulse. If your pulse first thing in the morning is 10 or more beats more than normal, you may be suffering from overtraining. Other indications are unusual (for you) fatigue and a lack of enthusiasm for your workouts. Try cutting back for a week and see if you feel better. If you have fever or other such symptoms, see your doctor.

Strength Training and Resistance Bands

Get on the resistance bandwagon! Resistance bands are easier and more flexible than barbells, dumbbells or even hand weights. Your weight training routine will benefit from adding at least one strength training exercise that uses a resistance band.

Try doing squats while pulling on the resistance band wrapped around a doorknob (this weight training exercise strengthens the butt, thighs, back, chest, triceps and biceps).

Be careful in your resistance band strength training to:



• Secure the band around objects, otherwise the ends can come loose and possibly cause an injury

• Before and during every session of your weight training program, make sure your hands aren't damp, sweaty or slippery



If you're accident prone, look into buying a resistance band with safety features (the B-Lines Resistance Bands Upgrade Kit includes a door attachment with safety strap, so you can attach your band to a doorjamb or even a tree and pull, pull, pull without fear).

Places to Walk

Here's another reason Americans are fatter than Europeans. American cities, in general, are less walking-friendly than European cities. Distances, lack of sidewalks, and traffic make it harder to find good walking areas.

Don't be discouraged from your fitness walking regimen. Look for high school tracks, paths in parks, industrial parks which often have lots of flat streets with sidewalks, shopping malls, golf courses, or playing fields where you can walk around the periphery, or any nearby open area. In the mall, walking for exercise is more fun when you're window shopping!

Dance Workouts

Switch it up! Take a cue from square dancing caller and do-si-do and switch partners when it comes to your body building workout routines.

Varying your routines and programs will make your workout routine more exciting and will keep you from reaching a plateau. Try these tips on how to spice up your workout:

• Vary your pumping iron workout plan and target different areas of your body on different days
• Sign up for some swing or salsa dancing lessons
• Try alternating your dance and dumbbell workout with stretching (such as yoga or Pilates)
• Mix in a little tai chi for grace and swimming for cardiorespiratory fitness

Who says workout routines have to be routine?

Sports Drinks - the healthy way

Gatorade is thirst-aid! Many people prefer sports drinks to water because they taste better and it´s easier to drink them more often in a sports nutrition diet.

If the sports drink contains a small amount of carbohydrate, sodium, and potassium, the drink will effectively hydrate the person. The following facts are important to consider when using a sports drink for sports nutrition:

- Sports drinks should contain between 14 and 19 grams of
carbohydrate per eight-ounce serving (six to eight percent). A drink with more than ten percent carbohydrate may cause slow absorption, nausea, cramps, or diarrhea. A drink with five percent or less sugar solution may not provide enough additional sports nutrition energy to increase exercise length.
- Carbonation causes stomach bloating. Dilute carbonated drinks to half-strength.
- The correct sodium level for sports nutrition supplement drinks is 100-110 milligrams per eight ounces. Sodium content in sports drinks can range from eight to 116 milligrams.
- Fruit juices have 10-15 percent carbohydrate and need to be diluted. Mix one part juice to seven parts water.
- You do not sweat out vitamins; there´s no need to buy sports nutrition drinks that include vitamins.
- Water is adequate for exercise under one hour. However, if the exercise is intense or lasts more than an hour, a sports drink will be beneficial.
- If you´re participating in a sports event lasting four hours or more, you need a sports nutrition drink that contains from 110 to 120 milligrams of sodium.

Diet and Weight Training

No fat, no muscle gain. Sumo wrestlers in Japan know this. (So does Hilary Swank, who had to eat 210 grams of carbs per day while weight training for “Million Dollar Baby”).

Before embarking on a weight training routine, adjust your diet. Try infusing your diet with flaxseed oil, high in fat (Omega-3 fatty acids), and also egg whites, which are high in protein. Drinking protein shakes can also give you energy during your weight training program.

You might not need to eat quite as demanding a diet, depending on how demanding your strength training exercise is. But as Suzanne Somers has said, fat is not the enemy. This is doubly true if you're doing strength training. “Eat your greens,” Mom's sage advice, holds true for a weight training diet as well. You'll need to add nutritional supplements, particularly if a high-protein diet (or egg whites) doesn't agree with you).

Benefits of Exercise During Pregnancy

The benefits of exercising during pregnancy are numerous. These include: reduced weight gain; reduced chances of becoming hypertensive; less likely to develop gestational diabetes; improved mood with less depression; better sleep patterns; reduced labor time; may reduce chance of surgery; more rapid weight loss after pregnancy. Work with your doctor to develop the best plan for you.

Alcohol and Working Out

Never drink alcohol before you work out, even if you´re not going to exercise for several hours. Your reflexes can still be compromised, plus your hydration is affected. Do your run or other workout, rehydrate with water, then have a beer if you must. It´s best to skip the drink completely before a big competition because effects can linger to the next day.

Elliptical Trainers

Elliptical machines are here to stay. People with bad knees love them, as they allow a good aerobic workout without any pounding on the knees. The technique seems awkward at first, but can be learned fairly easily. Beginners can take it easy, and advanced aerobic exercisers can use a combination of incline and resistance to work as hard as they want. If you buy an elliptical for home use, be careful to find one that´s well made, since the cheaper models may not hold up.

Bob Harper: Trainer to the Stars

What do Jenny McCarthy, Ben Stiller and Ellen DeGeneres all have in common? Sure, they make us laugh, but they've all used Bob Harper to motivate and train them.

You can see Bob Harper on NBC's The Biggest Loser and get his great health advice by signing up for The Biggest Loser Club. By following his tips, you'll not only lose weight, but feel inspired as you watch your body transform.

Finding a trainer to the stars can be both difficult and expensive (especially when you're not a celebrity yourself), but with Bob's advice, you can feel better in no time. Visit your local gym or sports club and ask about trainers who specialize in mind, body and spirit training sessions. If you like Bob's methods, you might just be able to find a trainer nearby that subscribes to the same philosophies!

Kim Lyons: Fom Cheerleader to Trainer

If you're a fan of The Biggest Loser on NBC, you'll see Kim Lyons return to the show as the newest trainer. She brings a wealth of health knowledge -- a degree in Human Development and Nutrition from Colorado State University and a bunch of nutrition certifications from the National Academy of Sports Medicine -- and a longtime love of exercise, which included cheerleading. Kim's expertise has allowed her to write for several health magazines, including Self.

If you're looking for a trainer like Kim, ask the trainers at your local gym what their credentials are. Many trainers will have a background in nutrition or sports exercise.

Keep watching The Biggest Loser to find out some of Kim Lyons' tricks to losing weight and feeling great.

Lose Weight & Tone Up Like Jillian Michaels

Have you ever tried to sculpt your body, but saw little results? Anyone who has tried to advance from their Campbell Soup cans to 3 lb. weights to 10 lb. weights knows that sculpting your body isn't always easy. Unlike cardiovascular activity, which can deliver endorphins in no time, weight training takes precision and concentration.

Enter Jillian Michaels, one of the trainers for NBC's hit show The Biggest Loser. Jillian was an overweight teen and when she began taking martial arts classes, she gained a love for exercise and personal training that has lasted for years. You will recognize her on the show as the brutally honest and super-toned trainer whipping her team into shape.

If you want tank top arms and bikini abs like Jillian Michael's, you might want to face TV's toughest trainer. Watch The Biggest Loser and see how Jillian trains her team to conquer physical feats they never thought possible.