Monday, August 24, 2015

MUSCLE SORENESS, By Reema Sarin, Actor, Dancer, Model & Founder BOLLYFIT

MUSCLE soreness or stiffness may set in after participating in an activities like running or lifting weights, for the very first time or when performed at a higher intensity. For e.g. Aching calf muscles after a long run or sore muscles after a strenuous workout. Generally, the soreness reduces after the muscle gets accustomed to the activity. 1. Cause of muscle soreness: The burning of the muscles on the next day of your workout is a sign that you are damaging or tearing your muscles. As we exercise, muscles extend and contract. The contraction causes the disruption of the filaments that hold the muscle fibers together as they slide over each other. 2. The necessary evil: Muscle soreness is perfectly normal and should not be a reason to discontinue the activity. The tearing of muscle cells results in repair and regeneration of new stronger muscle cells to prepare for the activity again. In short, our muscles try to adapt to the new activity. Muscle soreness can be called a sign of a successful workout. After the recovery of the muscles (generally 2 – 3 days), they perform more efficiently and are more resistant to tearing damage. 3. Effective recovery process: Drinking lots of water is a great aid in alleviating muscle soreness. Repairing damaged muscle and initiating rebuilding of muscle cells requires protein in your diet. Our body generally requires 1 - 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. During the recovery process, if you eat right and drink lots of water, you will put on quality muscle cells which will result in good-looking muscles and great looking skin as well. 4. Prolonged muscle soreness: The average time period for our muscles to heal is 2-3 days. . It is important to allow a period of 2-3 days of rest to the sore muscle after strenuous activity. Muscle soreness is a positive sign but if the soreness and pain persists, it may be a sign of over-use. Severe injuries like muscle tendon ruptures can occur if muscles are over-worked. Muscle soreness is just a natural outcome of any kind of a physical activity and it is prevalent in the beginning stages of a workout program. Even bodybuilders experience muscle soreness. So, don’t get discouraged, keep on sweating it out! Next time, when your muscle is sore, pat yourself on the back for working out right! SO DON'T STOP...Keep Working Out.... Join on Facebook - Reema Sarin – The BOLLYFIT Girl! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reema-Sarin-BOLLYFIT-Girl/111587495844 Reema Sarin - Twitter https://twitter.com/ReemaSarin Web-site – www.bollyfitreema.com Reema Sarin BOLLYFIT Blog http://bollyfitreema.com/category/blog

Monday, August 17, 2015

Are you Exercising Right! By Reema Sarin, Founder BOLLYFIT

Are you exercising regularly, yet not seeing the results you want? Or getting sidelined by pulled muscles and other injuries? Feeling tempted to drop out because you're so bored? Don't give up your fitness program just yet. Maybe the problem isn't the exercise itself but the way you're exercising. Doing the ‘Gym slouch’ - We see many people in the gym leaning on equipment. We call it 'gym slouch': They're on the Stairmaster, elliptical cross trainer, or treadmill, leaning over, and hanging on for dear life. When your back is rounded, your spine doesn't get enough support. So stand erect when you're working out on one of these machines. Getting a grip. Holding on too tightly to the cardio equipment lets you ‘cheat’ and keeps you from moving your arms, which is essential to boost your heart rate and burn extra calories. Instead of gripping, just rest your fingers, from your index finger to the pinkie, on the bars. As you get more comfortable, drop a finger. Eventually, you may have just the index fingers resting there for security. Resistance training for ‘Fat burn’: . Many people think they need only a cardiovascular exercise program. We begin losing muscle at age 30.Strength training builds muscles, which increases metabolism and burns fat as well as calories. Strength-Training Slipups: Doing weight-lifting repetitions too fast raises your blood pressure and increases your risk for joint injury. It also compromises your results.The safest way to use strength machines or dumbbells is: in lifting phase, exhale for two counts and hold briefly at the top of the contraction, then return as you inhale for four counts. Always exhale during the hardest part of the work. Are you doing your Ab crunches right? Many people do crunches or abdominal machine workouts without ever toning their abdomens. The problem is that they're using the upper torso, neck, and head to do the work. The contraction should be from the ribcage to the hip bone. Put your mind into the muscles that are working, and keep all the other muscles quiet. Doing lackluster lat pull-downs. On this machine, you're seated with a bar overhead. Some people stick their heads forward and pull the bar down behind their heads. But doing it this way could injure your spine or neck -- and your back won't get that coveted "V" look. Instead, pull the bar down in front of your shoulders and chest. Using maladjusted machines: Weight machines are made for people of all shapes and sizes. You must adjust them to fit if you want to get results and avoid injury. For example, using an improperly set leg-extension machine puts stress on your knees. Another problem with improperly adjusted machines is that you don't work your muscles through the full range of motion. Have a qualified trainer show you the proper settings for your physique, and write them down on a card that you carry to the gym. Skipping the warm-up: Without a warmup, you're asking your body to work before the oxygen and blood flow reach the muscles. You increase the risk for injury, and with cardiovascular exercise, you raise the heart rate too fast. Before you exercise in earnest, spend 5-10 minutes going through the motions of your workout at an easy pace to raise your body temperature from the inside out. If you don't warm up before lifting weights, meanwhile, you risk torn muscles and won't be able to lift as much weight. Get your blood flowing by spending a few minutes on the treadmill or exercise bike, or even walking in place. Stretching vs Bouncing: Bouncing during a stretch can increase your risk of straining or pulling muscles. Hold a static stretch with no movement at the joints. Your body should feel lengthened but not to the point of pain. Skipping the ‘Cool-down’: Don't come to sudden stop at the end of your workout. If you don't cool down, you risk muscle soreness because you haven't flushed the lactic acid out of your system. It takes five to 10 minutes at a slower pace, depending on your fitness level, to let your heart rate come down. Being a weekend warrior. If you're only exercising two days a week, you'll never get where you want to be, and you'll feel awful every Monday. It leads to injury and burnout, and you're missing the secret to success: showing up. Skipping on water. Muscles need fluid to contract properly, so if you don't drink enough, you can get muscle spasms or aches. If you're thirsty, you're already a percent dehydrated. Drink water before, during, and after exercise. Seeking a quick fix! Many people expect dramatic results from a little exercise. Recommendations are for 3 1/2 to four hours of physical activity a week just to prevent weight regain. If you want to lose weight and you're walking 30 minutes, three times a week, without changing your diet, it will take roughly one month to lose a pound. Want to lose faster? Exercise more.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Calorie Burning Workouts! By Reema Sarin, Founder BOLLYFIT

Resolved to finally lose weight this year? Well, you need to mix up your workouts so they stay challenging. This will help keep your heart rate up, and force your body to burn more calories. The following workouts will not only burn serious calories, but they will also push your body way past your comfort zone. If you're not actively exercising already, then perhaps that it might be better to ease into exercise in order to help prevent injury. Below are some serious calorie burning workouts: Interval Workout Interval training is all about challenge and recovery -- over and over -- for a cardio blast. You can do intervals many different ways -- running, on any sort of cardio equipment, or in a pool. 1. Warm Up: On the treadmill, with the incline set at a challenging angle, power walk at a speed of 3-3.5 for 7 minutes. Keep your elbows up above your heart. Stop, get off the treadmill, and stretch. 2. Sprint: Drop the incline to 0, increase the treadmill speed, and sprint hard for 30 seconds. Aim for 90% of your maximum heart rate. To recover, bring your speed down to 3.0 and walk for one minute. 3. Squats: Get off the treadmill and squat, with your bottom out to the rear and your legs slightly apart. Then jump from the squatting position into the air, landing in the same squat position as before. Do this for one set of 15 or 20, working your quadriceps. If you’re already in good shape, hold dumbbells by your sides. 4. Overhead Presses: Do 15 or 20 overhead presses with the weights, pushing them straight up and directly over your shoulders. 5. Sprint: Get back on the treadmill and sprint for 30 seconds (no incline). The goal is to be at 80% of your maximum heart rate. To recover, decrease your speed to 3.0 and walk for one minute. 6. Tricep Extensions: Using dumbbells, do one set of 15 or 20 overhead tricep extensions. Your elbows should point toward the ceiling, with the weights behind your head. Lift the weights directly above your head and back down again. 7. Pushups. Do one set of 15 push-ups, with your elbows at a 90-degree angle from the body. Modification: Do the push-ups with your knees on the ground, but do 25 instead of 15. 8. Sprint: Back to the treadmill. Sprint for 1 minute, aiming for 70% of your maximum heart rate. To recover, jog for 90 seconds. 9. Jumping Jacks. Do one set of 15 or 20 jumping jacks. If you're strong enough, add two 10- or 15-pound dumbbells -- lift up the weights when you jump out, in an overhead press position, pulling them back down to shoulder height as your legs go back together. 10. Finale: Incline your treadmill to an angle that really challenges you -- but don't hang onto the treadmill's rails. Walk at a 2.0-3.5 speed for 30 seconds, aiming for 60% of your maximum heart rate. To recover, bring the treadmill down to a 1.0 incline and drop your speed to 1.9 or 2.0 for a 1-minute walk. Finish by stretching. Quick CrossFit Series CrossFit workouts are about getting maximum effort in minimum time. The following exercises come from Doug Katona, co-founder and owner of CrossFit Endurance in Newport Beach, Calif. They can be done on their own, all together, or in any combination. 30-90s 1. Warm up for 10-12 minutes, finishing the warm-up at 75% of your maximum heart rate or at 7.5 on the perceived exertion scale, in which 0 is no effort and 10 is your max. 2. Choose any type of cardio. Do it at your maximum effort for 30 seconds. 3. Stop and recover for 2 minutes, or for 90 seconds if you're already in good condition. Do not shortchange the rest period. 4. Do this up to three times. Body Weight Blast As fast as you can, do 10 squats, 10 push-ups, and 10 full sit-ups. Then do nine reps of each. Then eight, seven, six, and so forth, until you reach one rep of each exercise. Rest as little as possible between sets. Record your time and try to improve each week. Rowing or Indoor Cycling Don't overlook the rowing machine and stationary bikes in your gym. You may be sitting down, but you'll be sweating when you try this workout from Scott Nohejl, coach and program director of The Chatham Area Rowing Association in Savannah, Ga. 1. Row or bike for a minute. 2. Sprawl with push-up. Run in place, with your feet just coming off the ground, for a count of five. Lower yourself onto your hands, jump your legs backward to a push-up position. Do one push-up, then bring the legs back, tucking them in. Stand and repeat for 1 minute. 3. Squats. With hands on top of your head, squat so your knees are at 90 degrees -- make sure they do not go past your toes -- and then stand up. Repeat for 1 minute. 4. Side jumps. With feet together, toes pointed forward, jump from side to side for 1 minute. 5. Rest for 5 minutes. 6. Row or bike for 1 minute. 7. Scissor jumps. With one leg in front and the other in back, jump and "scissor" your legs before landing. Do this for 1 minute. 8. Sumo jumps. Squat down, then jump, bringing your feet slightly off the ground. Do this for 1 minute. 9. Jumping jacks. Do these for 1 minute. Repeat the full set four times, nonstop, for a 16-minute workout. Cool down, and then stretch. Swimming The pool isn’t just for cooling off. It’s also a great way to heat up your metabolism -- and burn a maximum number of calories. If your arms or shoulders are hurting - or you simply want to work your legs - use a kickboard and do two sets of four 100-yard swims, with 20 seconds of rest between each. More Calorie Burners There are lots of other great options for burning calories through exercise. Here are some: • Playing basketball • Running • Jumping rope • Cross-country skiing • Taking an aerobics class • Spinning (stationary bike class) • Dancing (the faster you dance, the more calories you'll burn) Exactly how many calories you burn depends on your weight - and how intensely you do the exercise! Keep Fit!