Quick Reads from Victoria Gym Bulletin Board
Thanks to Meaghan for providing some great short articles for our bulletin board at the gym. Here are just a few gems for you to consider. Enjoy!
POSTURE
Most of us spend a large amount of time at a desk, in front of a computer. This can lead to a lot of postural imbalances.
Muscles that tend to get short and tight:
Pectoral muscles – tight chest muscles pull the shoulders forward
Iliopsoas – tight hip flexors from being in a seated position
Upper neck extensors – tight extensor muscles can lead to head forward posture
Muscles that tend to get over stretched and tight:
Rhomboids and Mid/low Trapezius – between the shoulder blades
Gluteus Maximum – your glute muscles were meant to be perky, not flat!
Erectors – the two long groups of muscles on either side of your spine. These help to keep your trunk and neck upright
Best Stretches:
Pec stretch
Hip flexor stretch
Chin tucks
Focus on good posture while you’re working or playing
HIGH INTENSITY INTERVALS – WHY DO WE MAKE YOU DO THEM?
Finishers are intense bouts of cardiovascular exercise with short rest periods are designed to get you the most bang for your buck!
Benefits:
– burn fat
– short in duration
– burn high amounts of calories
– improvements in both anaerobic and aerobic fitness
– afterburn effect by increasing metabolism (you’ll burn more calories throughout the day!!)
How to Incorporate Intervals into your day:
Choose one or a few intense exercises to do at a high speed, for a short amount of time (20-30 seconds), followed by a rest period. Exercises can be running, biking, fast squats, pushups, burpees…just about anything! Repeat several times!! Enjoy!
BREAKFAST
Importance of eating breakfast:
– After fasting throughout your sleep you need energy to start the day
– Boosts and maintains your metabolism
– Weight control – studies show if you eat breakfast you will consume less calories throughout the day
What is there to eat!
1. Try to include protein – this will keep you full longer
eg. Eggs, Whey Protein, Cottage Cheese, Greek Yogurt, Natural Nut Butter
2. Enjoy Fiber – fiber has been shown to reduce your risk of certain cancers, diabetes and other diseases. Fiber also will keep you feeling full!
eg. Berries, Oatmeal, Fruit, Sprouted Breads
3. Add Vegetables – veggies are low in calories and high in nutrients
– try adding veggies to your omelet tomorrow, or try blending some spinach into your smoothie!
Thanks Meaghan for providing some great little snippets of knowledge. Remember, watch your posture both sitting and walking, get some aerobic work in the way of intervals and last but not least, start your day with a well balanced breakfast to get that furnace burning!
Till next time,
Narina
