Charity Run

I take part in charity runs every year and raise money for Cancer Research! Face 2 Face Fitness always contributes towards this.

******How often should you exercise?*******

It all depends on the individuals current fitness levels and what their goals are.

Guidelines are: adults, moderate exercise 30mins, 3 to 5 times a week.

Beginners: Example: start of with Monday as an exercise day, Tuesday rest day, alternate throughout the week.

Intermediates: Example:If you are used to exercise, Monday run and tuesday swimming, continue through the week.Try alternating between different forms of exercise.

To calculate your MHR( maximum heart rate) subtract your age from 220. To find 65% of your MHR, multiply your MHR by 0.65. To find 75% of your MHR, multiply your MHR by 0.75. i.e. If you are 40 years old your MHR is 180. 65% of your MHR is 117 beats per minute (BPM). 75% of MHR is 135 BPM:

220 – 40 = 180 BPM

180 x 0.65 = 117 BPM (65% MHR)

180 x 0.75 = 135 BPM (75% MHR)

Try working these heart rate zones

History of the Fit ball (Swiss ball)

The history of the Fit Ball (also known as a stability Ball, Fit Ball, Body Ball and Gym Ball) originates back to the early 1960's. It was made by an Italian toy maker called Aquilino Cosani.

His company today,known as Ledragomma,are the major suppliers of Swiss Balls throughout the world. The Swiss Ball clinical applications by Dr. Susan Klein - Vogelbach, a Swiss Physical Therapist, can be traced back to the 1960's. Through a series of classes, seminars and clinical workshops, the Swiss Ball made it's way to the bay area of California, USA in the 1980's. Swiss Balls have had a long standing success in the world of clinical rehabilitation.

 Since then, due to their effectiveness in developing balance and core strength, athletic trainers, coaches, personal trainers and physical education teachers realised the potential uses for this piece of apparatus and began integrating them into their programmes. Due to Swiss Balls success and growing popularity, the last decade has seen the birth of various programmes developed to educate professionals on their use.  

WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT LOOK NO FURTHER!

               SOME MORE TIPS TO LOSE WEIGHT

Eat small, frequent meals. Extending the time between meals makes your body go into "starvation mode," which decreases your metabolism as a means to conserve energy and prevent starvation. Skipping meals does not help you cut calories or LOSE WEIGHT in fact, people generally eat less overall when they eat small, frequent meals. In addition to having four to six small meals per day, eating healthy snacks will also increase metabolism.

Some factors that effect metabolism can be changed and some can not:

Age: Metabolic rate decreases 5% each decade, after the age of 40

Thyroid disorder

Gender: Men generally burn more calories than females as they have more muscle tissue.

Heredity

MORE TO COME KEEP FOLLOWING! : )

Fit Ball

The history of the Fit Ball (also known as a stability Ball, Fit Ball, Body Ball and Gym Ball) originates back to the early 1960's. It was made by an Italian toy maker called Aquilino Cosani.His company today,known as Ledragomma,are the major suppliers of Swiss Balls throughout the world. The Swiss Ball clinical applications by Dr. Susan Klein - Vogelbach, a Swiss Physical Therapist, can be traced back to the 1960's. Through a series of classes, seminars and clinical workshops, the Swiss Ball made it's way to the bay area of California, USA in the 1980's. Swiss Balls have had a long standing success in the world of clinical rehabilitation. Since then, due to their effectiveness in developing balance and core strength, athletic trainers, coaches, personal trainers and physical education teachers realised the potential uses for this piece of apparatus and began integrating them into their programmes. Due to Swiss Balls success and growing popularity, the last decade has seen the birth of various programmes developed to educate professionals on their use.   

Benefits 

• Compliments any other training programme.
• Promotes mobility and flexibility.
• Improves posture.
• Improves balance and muscular coordination.
• Versatile.
• Inexpensive.
• Can be used and transported anywhere.
• Fit Balls can be used in a gym, for personal training and group exercise classes.

   

The Fit Ball can be used in many different fitness environments including the following:    

• Weight Training - Use the Fit Ball as your new weights bench to add difficulty to the movements and incorporate the muscles of the lower body and core.
• Abdominal Training - Doing crunches, twists and other traditional exercises on the ball, adds difficulty by placing demands on more muscles and encourages an improved posture.
• Sitting Around - Just sitting on a Fit Ball can be a challenge. It is a good way to improve your posture when sitting in front of a computer or watching television.
• Rehabilitation - Fit Balls are great to use for corrective exercises and stretching, aiding recovery from injury.

 
Ante - Natal and Post Natal   During pregnancy, the average woman will put on 10kg. Because of this increased weight bearing, the spine, pelvis and surrounding muscles and ligaments undergo significant change. In particular, the abdominals undergo a process of lengthening and this may cause subsequent weakening of the abdominal wall. Hormonal changes are also prevalent, one of which is the production of relaxing, which softens ligaments to prepare the pelvis for the birthing process.   The impact of this weight increase, muscle lengthening and weakening, plus ligaments laxity, creates potential for the back pain, potentially leading to both joint and muscle dysfunction as postural integrity is challenged. 

  Fit Ball exercise is an excellent way to train muscles around the spine and pelvis to help combat these potential problems. Both ante - natal and post - natal phases of pregnancy benefit from targeted Fit Ball exercise; exercises that aim to strengthen the spinal and pelvic stabilising muscles. The Fit Ball may also be beneficial during labour, creating a support base for pelvic motion and comfort. Because of this, Fit Ball are now commonly used by midwifes. 

GREAT WAY TO INCREASE WEIGHT LOSS Boosting Metabolism

 Water!

 

 A new study seems to indicate that drinking water actually speeds up weight loss and boost metabolism. Researchers in Germany found that subjects of the study increased their metabolic rates (the rate at which calories are burned) by 30 percent after drinking approximately 17 ounces of water. Water is also a natural appetite suppressant that banishes bloat as it flushes out sodium and toxins. Drinking enough water will also help keep you from mistaking thirst for hunger. So drink up! Make sure that you are starting your day with a big big glass of water and drink throughout the day not just all at one time.

Healthy Eating Tips

Tuna - Tuna lowers the amount of leptin in your body and that in turn speeds up your metabolism. This helps your body burn fat faster and more efficiently. The protein in tuna also aids in the production of muscle which helps you burn even more fat. (This is one of my favorite fat burning foods.)

Olive Oil - Olive oil not only burns fat but it also keeps your cholesterol down. Most people use it in place of their normal cooking oil making it a very easy way to make a positive change to their diets.

Eggs - Eggs get a bad rap but they are packed with protein which your body has to work hard to digest and which also jump starts your metabolism. The B12 in eggs is also said to aid in the destruction of fat cells. The secret with eggs, however, is moderation. A few a week are fine, just don't go crazy with them.

There will be more to follow : )

Running and general care

The gastrocnemius muscles are the power muscles in running and soleus is the muscle used when walking and standing. The other muscles help stabilise the foot during movement. During running the ankle takes considerable amount of force. Over all the ankle takes the full weight of the body, its constantly under pressure.

Hence there are a lot of injuries during exercise. having a little knowledge helps massive amounts as it makes you aware of the delicacy of the ankle and be very wary of the movement and take great care. Most important is to have the right foot wear.

 THE ANKLE
This is a synovial joint that connects to the tibia and fibula in the lower limbs. (Tibia and Fibula are the bones in the lower leg)

MOVEMENTS

The movements the ankle joint allows are: inversion, eversion, plantarflexion, dorsiflexion, pronation and supination.


FUNCTIONS

  Two main functions are:
                                                                

•    Distribution of force at the moment of a heel strike
  
  • Provide a rigid level to allow a stable and propulsive phase during walking and running