The Effects of Exercise

The only way to remove stored fat is to burn it off. Exercise increases caloric expenditure and the rate of expenditure is related to both intensity and duration of activity. As exercise/running becomes more intense, the duration of participation becomes limited. One may be able to expand 125 calories in one all out mile, but if you run at a comfortable pace for several miles you triple the caloric expenditure without becoming exhausted. This is why it is recommended one do moderate activity instead of high-intensity exercise for weight control.

The effect of exercise does not stop when the individual stops exercising. Often caloric expenditure remains elevated for 30 minutes after you stop. Vigorous long running will elevate body temperature and increases metabolism. When the individual stops, there is a long, slow period when caloric expenditure remains well above resting levels. This post exercise increase in energy expenditure is often neglected when considering the benefits of exercise.

Many think diet is better than exercise for controlling ones weight. It is easier to reduce caloric intake by not eating a piece of cake than it is to burn off the cake after you eat it (2 miles at 120 calories/mile).

“Is diet a better method of weight control?” Studies have clearly indicated the need for exercise in a program of weight control. Diet or caloric restriction can lead to the loss of weight but the loss is often only temporary or the individual goes back to old habits and gain the weight back. Exercise with dieting produced greater weight loss over a shorter time. It not only helps one lose weight but produces other benefits especially for the obese person.

Running When You Have Children Home All Day?

Every Tuesday from July until October I would help mentor a beginning woman’s running group for 10 years.  I gave me the chance to share my experiences and knowledge with women that where just starting to run.  The question  and concern I heard the most was how to run with the kids home all day.  Some used it as an excuse not to run others tried to get up before the sun or their husbands left for work.

In our prime years both my husband and I where very competitive runners.  My husband was ranked 24th in the US in the 20k and has trained as much as 150 miles a week.  While I was training up to 100 miles a week.  We where both sponsored by Nile and Adidas associated with the local running store.    Many would say impossible if you have kids.   But this is not true.  We often would “tag team” train.  One would go train, return and the other would train.  Not every day was that easy.   We had our days that one was stuck at work.  My husband and I where at the time foster parents to two seven old with special needs and behavior issues.  You can figure out the time we put in training and we had children.

My advise to the women that where home with children all day was to buy some sandcastle building stuff and go to the local track.  I often packed the buckets and shovels in the car and drove to the high school track.  The children could play in the long jump pit making castles while  I ran lots of laps on the track.  I could see them at all times and would close the gates leading to the track so the children didn’t go anywhere.  This may sound boring running circles but I got my workout in and had the children with me.  Later in life we had our own children.  We have three ages 9 ,7 and 2 years old.  I had days where I had to push my oldest two in a double jogger to get my run in.  Pushing a five and three-year old in a double jogger not only got my run in but also a “weight workout”.  Now the girls ride their bikes  as I push my two years old.  The weight load is lighter but having to keep an eye on two of them is harder but them Mom’s have eyes behind their heads right.  These are just a few ideas I would give to someone who has children home and can’t run because they are home.

Outdoor Activites The Whole Family Can Enjoy

In today’s uncertain economy families are looking for more free activities to do.  Three outdoor activities have seen an increase in popularity in the last year trail running, hiking and mountain biking.

Trail running or running on an unpaved path or road provides many health benefits including reduce your risk for diabetes, heart attack, lower blood pressure, enhanced bone and joint health, and control weight.  The American Trail Running Association has information on trail in all 50 states and 18 countries.  For more information visit  http://www.trailrunner.com.  Trail running is physically demanding.  To avoid getting lost, plan a route and research the trail before you go out on the trail.  Proper footwear is essential.  Trail running shoes usually are more stable and have more traction than shoes made for running on hard surfaces.  It is important to stay well hydrated: one should take more water on the trail than you think you expect to need.

Mountain biking is a good cardiovascular exercise that also builds lower body strength.  Mountain biking is often done in remote areas.  It is essential that individuals learn how to make minor repairs to their bike like fixing a flat tire.  Always wear a helmet that fits properly sits flat on the head.  Several health plans offer incentives to offset the cost of bike helmets.  Many parks have specially designated trails for mountain biking.  To find a mountain bike trail near you visit http://www.recreation.gov under the Recreation Search Section.

Hiking is another popular outdoor activity.  Since it is low to moderate – intensity hiking can be an activity for the person that is not is good shape.  It offers the same health benefits as trail running but you wont burn as many calories as you would while trail running.  Hiking uphill is can be vigorous exercise especially if the grade of the hill is step.  Wearing a backpack uses even more energy and lets you bring things that could make the trip safer or food.  If you carry an 11 pound backpack you increase your number of calories burned by 6%.  Proper footwear is once agin essential.  Usually when you hike you wear boots that are half a size larger that street shoes.  The extra half-size gives you more room for socks.  Wearing two pairs of socks can help prevent blisters.  Just like any other shoe make sure you break them in before going on a long hike.  Adults should take 2 to 3 quarts of water a day while hiking and more it is hot.  The American Hiking Society has links to federal agencies and state parks with trail for hiking at http://www.americanhiking.org in the hiking resources section.

The above activities are great outdoor workouts.  This just goes to show you don’t need an expensive gym membership to enjoy a workout and be physically active.

Exercise Goes Back To Nature

If you Take your workout into the outdoors, you won’t need a gym membership or costly machines.  Deepening on where you are doing your outdoor workouts you may see some incredible scenery.  My husband graduated from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.  One of his professors held the record for running the Appellation Trail.  Can you imagine the scenery he saw as he ran the trail.

In today’s uncertain economy outdoor exercise is posting big gains. The Outdoor Foundation surveyed more than 40,000 Americans for its Outdoor Recreation Participation Report in 2009. They found out participation in Trail running was up 15%, mountain biking up 10%, and hiking up 9%. Other nature activities that showed an increase where snowshoeing up 22%, backpacking up 19%, cross-country skiing up 9% and kayaking up 7%. National Parks had 12 million more visitors in 2009 than in 2008.  The most popular outdoor activities include hiking, mountain biking and trail running.

With more than 30% of children considered overweight or obese a family trip to a nature trail is a great way to get the whole family physically active and seeing areas that are beautiful in the country. Outdoor exercise is a great fitness option for any age. According to the American Journal of Prevention Medicine nature based activities give an individual mental benefits such as decrease anger and fear, increased mental alertness and feelings of well-being and energy. According to the Outdoor Foundations report people who exercise outdoors tend to work out more often and more vigorously than those that workout in a gym.

If you workout in nature keep a few safety rules in mind before you head out. Stick to marked trail, map your route before hand knowing the halfway point. If you know the halfway point you will be able to gauge if you have enough energy to continue. You may also want to wear sunscreen and insect repellent.

Fitness Trails- what are they and how do they help you get fit?

The Fitness Trail is an exercise circuit designed to improve the aerobic and muscular fitness of men, women and children.  They were inspired by Swiss exercise trail called the Vita Parcours.  With the backing of the Vita Insurance Company more than 400 course have been built-in Switzerland.  The idea spread quickly to Europe.  When the Fitness Trails arrived in the United States they where originally  designed for the U.S. Forest Service.  The trails have become so popular that they have been constructed on city/ county park land as well as school grounds and made available to the general public to use.

The Fitness Trail consists of 7 dual-purpose exercise stations along a 1/4 miles jogging path.  Participants walk/jog between the stations, complete the exercise, and continue on until they have finished the course.  Signs at each station describes and illustrates how each exercise should be done.

The trail can fit on as little as 2 acres of land and cost less than $1000  in materials to construct.  The trail is ideal for everyone from the individual trying to get in a workout or a group training together.  It can be used by all ages.  You progress at your own pace and do as few or as many repeats of the exercises as you want.  It offers a physical challenge regardless of age or conditioning and the chance to improve fitness and health while having fun.

There are 14 exercise activities along the 1/4 mile trail.  Jog along the trail to strengthen your heart, lungs and legs.  Build muscle strength by performing the exercises.  Or do both the get an all around fitness.

Exercise Stations

1. Chin-ups: Pull up till the chin is over the bar and return to hanging position.  Beginners can keep their feet on the ground.
2. Log Hop: Face the length of the log, hop sideways across log, repeat hop back across the log.
3. Squat Jump: Squat until legs are at 90 degree angle, jump high switch position of feet on the way down and jump again.
4. Dips: Grasp bar and support your weight on your arms, lower body until elbows are at about a 90 degree angle and return.
5. Hurdles
6. Sit-ups: Curls up to a sitting position and touch right elbow to left knee and return. Repeat alternating right and left elbow touches.  More advanced individuals can raise the board to increase resistance.
7. Bench Blast: with right foot on the bench, blast off.  Switch position of feet on the way down.
8. Basket Hang: While hanging on the bar raise legs into “basket” of the your chest  and return.
9. Log Walk: walk the length of the log, start over if you fall off.
10. Push-Ups: Push up keep your back straight and return down until chest your chest almost touches deck.
11. Bar Walk: Supporting your weight on your arms, hand walk the length of the bars or as far as possible.
12. Vault: Vault over the bar of your choice
13. Leg Lift: While laying on your back lift your legs slowly to 90 degree angle, then slowly return down and repeat.
14. Step up: Step up and down on the bench as fast as possible, do indicated number (from sign) and change lead legs.

Children Need To Exercise More With Products Specially Made For Them

As a certified K-12 grade Health and Physical Education teacher in the State of Pennsylvania and a childcare worker I see children getting fatter.  Children need to work on the three key elements of fitness endurance, strength and flexibility.  Endurance is developed over time as children participate in aerobic activities. During aerobic activities the heart beats faster and they breathe faster.  When done regularly over time it strengthens the heart and improves the body’s ability to circulate oxygen.

Elementary schools across the United States are trying to fight the battle of the bulge.   Children need to exercise more!  It has been recommended children over the age of two get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise on most day preferably all days of the week. Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years.  Obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008.  Today 1 out of 3 children are considered overweight or obese in the United States.  If the rates continue at this pace 75% of children will be overweight or obese by 2015.  Programs have been started during recess to encourage children to walk laps to earn prizes.  Recess is usually only 30 minutes so we need families to encourage their children to exercise at home as well.

I have found two products that are specially made with children exercising in mind.  They are the Youth Timex Collection Tween Digital and Timex IronKids sports watch.   Children like to see how fast or how long they exercise.  What better way to encourage children to exercise is by having their very own watch?    The Youth Timex Collection can be clipped the child’s belt loop making it easy to workout and share.  The Timex IronKids watch is the first child’s sport watch with fun colors and easy to use features.  It  comes in two colors variations  blue/black and  pink/silver.

I personally  founded the Jamison Elementary School Roadrunners running program in 2005.  To read more about starting you own running group read my blog titled “How to Start A Children’s Running Program” I am  a mother of three children ages 9, 6 and 1.  Her 9 and 6 year old girls think nothing of lacing up for a local 5K race. For Timex IronKids and Youth Times Collection Tween Digital visit Web Warez Watches.com

How to start a School Age Children’s Running Group

Over 32% of children are overweight or obese in the United States. Several elementary schools have started running program to help lower the obesity rate among school age children. By following these simple guidelines you could have a running group started in no time and at next to no cost.
Have you ever wanted to help your child get in shape for a sport, or loss weight? Why not start a running group to help your child and any other child in the school do the same? The group will help the children progress from walking to running at a pace that’s right for each child and help prepare them to comfortably finish the 1 mile fun run/ 5K race. The children will have a period of time they run followed by a period of time that they walk. The first thing to do is to make sure all participants have an updated physical and parental permission to participate in a running group. You should write a letter explaining why the group is being started and not let anyone run if the form is not signed.
Parent’s challenge your child and run the race with them!!! Finishing is the most important thing. To help encourage the children let them name the new group. You should also find a local race with a 5k and fun run. This way the children that advance quickly can take the 5k challenge while others run the 1 mile.
Begin the session with about 15 minutes of stretching. The stretching should not be ballistic or bouncing in style. It is better to stretch and hold it for about 20 seconds. The children could run at there own pace or partner up with a friend. Make sure to emphasize they should be able to talk clearly without huffing and puffing while they run. I they can’t talk they are running to fast and should slow down. If the child can’t run the entire “run time” encourage then to walk quickly. Emphasize the goal is to finish not race.
The children run in a field or parking lot that has a coned off area. They run the coned area like they would run around the track (continuously the same loop). Blow a whistle to indicate the time to run and yell run. Blow the again to indicate it is time to walk and yell walk. The cycle continues until the activity is complete.

Program Overview- Workouts
Week 1 – Run 1 minute followed by walk 1 minute continuing this rotation until the total time is about 20 minutes.
Week 2 – Run 2 minutes followed by walk 1 minute continuing this rotation until the total time is about 20 minutes.
Week 3 – Run 3 minutes followed by walk 1 minute continuing this rotation until the total time is about 20 minutes.

Continue adding 1 minute a week to the running time. If the group is adjusting quicker add 2 minutes.

Pam founded the Jamison Elementary School Roadrunners running program in 2005. The club consisted of children grades K-6 that attended the school age childcare program at Jamison Elementary School in Jamison Pa.