Weights vs Aerobics

Should I lift weights or do aerobics first?

The answer to this question depends on what your goals are. If gaining muscle is your main concern than you should lift weights first while you are full of energy. You don't want to get tired doing aerobics and not be able to give your workout your all. If you want to build stamina and endurance you should do aerobics first. You may want to consider doing aerobics on the days when you are not weight lifting.

Be careful not to overtrain by working out every day of the week. Taking a day off once in a while is good for the body also.

Machines Vs Free Weights

The Advantages of Machines:

1. They are great for beginners because they are safe and easy to use.
2. Machines guide your body through a certain range of motion.
3. You don't have to worry about balancing the weight as much as with free weights.
4. Machines don't require as much coordination.
5. Machines isolate each muscle group.
6. Machines let you get in a fast workout. You go through a circuit of machines and then you are finished.
7. Machines are usually arranged so that you work large muscle groups and then smaller muscle groups.

The Disadvantages of Machines:

1. Machines don't fit everybody. They can be hard to adjust.
2. Machines don't build as much balance or coordination.
3. Machines can put your body into a bad range of motion. (If you feel uncomfortable move onto another machine)
4. Machines are not portable. They can't be moved around very easily.
5. Many bodybuilders believe that working out with machines alone doesn't build a very good body.

The Advantages of Free Weights:

1. Free weights are versatile. One set of dumbells can be used for many exercises.
2. Free weights build better balance and coordination.
3. Free weights work your muscles in a way that matches real life.
4. Many bodybuilders primarily use free weights to gain their massive size.
5. Free weights allow you to strengthen muscles and tendons that wouldn't get much work when using machines.

The Disadvantages of Free Weights:

1. Free weights can be difficult because of the balance and coordination required.
2. A free weight workout will take longer than a machine workout.
3. You can get injured easier using free weights.

Planning for Fitness

Setting Goals:

Why do you want to become a bodybuilder? Why do you want to become fit? The first step in any program is to decide why you are undertaking a bodybuilding or fitness plan. Some people start a program because they are overweight or because they want to look better. These are good reasons but, make sure that you are doing it for yourself. A higher percentage of people stick with a plan because they are committed to themselves. Get started now to see a difference tomorrow.

Setup Goals For Today:

By setting up immediate goals you will be setting a solid foundation for gains.
Plan what you are going to eat today.
Plan your workout.
What are you going to accomplish today?
Take it one day at a time and you will succeed. Being consistently disciplined is most of the battle.

Short Term Goals
:

Make sure that you start out with some short term goals. Most people set themselves up for failure because they think that they can get big overnight. Rome wasn't built in a day. Start slow and build up to lifting that 300 pound bench press. Add a little extra weight every week or every couple of weeks. Don't jump right in and hurt yourself or get so sore that you won't want to continue. You will be sore in the beginning but, this is part of the deal. After a few weeks the soreness will occur less frequently.

Long Term Goals:

Setup some long term goals for the next 3 to 6 months. Setup more goals for 6 months to 2 years. Example:
"I want to be able to do (you fill in here)."
"I would like to look like (you fill in that person here)."
Find a picture of someone that you admire and visualize yourself looking like that person. Make sure that your goals match the time allotted. Don't expect to look like Dorian Yates in 3 months. Be realistic but, dream a little. Visualization is a powerful tool. Visualize each workout and the workout will become better.

Keep A Logbook:

Write down your training, nutrition and goals. By keeping track of your progress you can easily see where you are versus where you will be.

Make sure that you write the date on each entry.


Training: Write down your exercise, your sets, and your reps. Write down a little about how you felt that day, your bodyweight, and whether you stretched or not.

Nutrition: Write down what you eat and count calories. Write down what vitamins, minerals and supplements you take.

Goals: Write down your short and long term goals.

Workout with a Training Buddy:

Some people like to train by themselves. Others like to workout with someone. If you choose to workout with a friend make sure that you have similar abilities. You wouldn't want someone spotting you that couldn't lift the weight if it becomes too heavy for you. A training buddy can be very motivational. You can push each other to attain each other's goals. If you know that your friend is going to be at the gym you are more likely to show up to train.

Pegnancy and Maternal obesity

Pregnancy and body weight

Birth of a child definitely one brightest events in womans life. But pregnancy brings often additional weight, which young mommy isnt happy about.

On the matter of health, it is very important to loose weight as soon as possible after giving birth .

Scientific researches have proven, that too much extra pounds after giving birth is a risk for both - the child and the mother. It may cause miscarry and a need for ceasarean section




Researches have proven that , that big weight when giving birth may cause being fat later on, too.
It is not important how many pounds are lost before pregnancy, every lost pound helps too keep your and your child healty.

Pegnancy and Maternal obesity
Compared to normal-weight women, obese women have an increased risk of infertility and pregnancy complications. The most consistently described pregnancy complications are hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes mellitus, thromboembolic events, and cesarean section. Fetal and neonatal complications may include congenital malformations, macrosomia, and shoulder dystocia. The literature suggests that women with a body mass index (BMI) 30 have approximately double the risk of having a child with a neural tube defect (NTD) compared to normal-weight women, and the increased risk associated with higher maternal body weight does not appear to be modified by folic acid supplementation. The Public Affairs Committee of the Teratology Society supports the public health initiatives identified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2004 and the research initiatives identified by the National Institutes of Health in 2004. The Public Affairs Committee recommends that clinicians counsel women about appropriate caloric intake and exercise and that health-care providers educate parents about appropriate childhood nutrition. Breast-feeding should be encouraged based on evidence of a protective effect against childhood obesity, as well as other health advantages.


Fetal origins of obesity


The worldwide epidemic of obesity continues unabated. Obesity is notoriously difficult to treat, and, thus, prevention is critical. A new paradigm for prevention, which evolved from the notion that environmental factors in utero may influence lifelong health, has emerged in recent years. A large number of epidemiological studies have demonstrated a direct relationship between birth weight and BMI attained in later life. Although the data are limited by lack of information on potential confounders, these associations seem robust. Possible mechanisms include lasting changes in proportions of fat and lean body mass, central nervous system appetite control, and pancreatic structure and function. Additionally, lower birth weight seems to be associated with later risk for central obesity, which also confers increased cardiovascular risk. This association may be mediated through changes in the hypothalamic pituitary axis, insulin secretion and sensing, and vascular responsiveness. The combination of lower birth weight and higher attained BMI is most strongly associated with later disease risk. We are faced with the seeming paradox of increased adiposity at both ends of the birth weight spectrum-higher BMI with higher birth weight and increased central obesity with lower birth weight. Future research on molecular genetics, intrauterine growth, growth trajectories after birth, and relationships of fat and lean mass will elucidate relationships between early life experiences and later body proportions. Prevention of obesity starting in childhood is critical and can have lifelong, perhaps multigenerational, impact.


Structured diet and physical activity prevent postpartum weight retention

Postpregnancy weight retention contributes to the near-epidemic prevalence of obesity in the United States. This study examines the impact of an individualized, structured diet and physical activity intervention on weight loss in overweight women during the first year postpartum. METHODS: Forty overweight postpartum women were randomized to either a structured (STR) or a self-directed (SELF) intervention. Measurements included body weight, percent body fat, daily caloric intake, habitual physical activity, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Subjects in STR received individualized diet and physical activity prescriptions derived from baseline measurements. They met weekly for the first 12 weeks and kept daily food and activity diaries. Subjects in SELF received a single 1-hour educational session about diet and activity. RESULTS: Only 23 of 40 participants remained in the study at 1 year postpartum. Of those, STR (n = 13) had a significant weight loss (7.3 kg, p < 0.01), a significant decrease in percent body fat (6%, p < 0.01), and no change in fat-free mass. SELF (n = 10) had no significant change in weight, percent body fat, or fat-free mass. CONCLUSIONS: Women who committed to this one class per week for 12 weeks postpartum had a high likelihood of successful weight loss that persisted at 1 year. Women who were overweight before pregnancy were unlikely to lose the pregnancy-related weight without the help of a formal intervention. This suggests that healthcare professionals should strongly encourage postpartum women to enroll in a structured diet and exercise program.