1. Sleep more. When our bodies are rested they work better, pure and simple. According to EHow Health, during sleep, the body releases hormones. Growth hormone and melatonin are hormones that regulate our biological clock, benefit our body tissues, and work as antioxidants to help us fight off illness. Deep sleep also allows the body’s cells to increase and reduce the breakdown of proteins needed for the body to function properly. When there is a lack of sleep, there is not enough growth hormone and melatonin released to rejuvenate the body and maintain normal functioning. We have difficulty thinking and are ineffective doing tasks. Our body also has less ability to perform basic metabolic functions such as processing and regulating carbohydrates. Most of us know about how much sleep we need to function well. When we consistently compromise this number, our metabolism can be negatively affected. [Read more…]
Gluteal Amnesia…Why We Need to Remember our Glutes
It's about more than filling out our jeans!
Alan Tyson, physical therapist and owner of Architech Sports, has a news flash: if the average gluteless, bench press-addicted, weekend warrior (or the average runner for that matter) would begin an intensive program of squats and lunges, they would increase the size of their glutes (and here’s the real news flash…) this would be a GOOD thing!! [Read more…]
Looking Back on 9 Kid Fitness in 2011
Finishing up our first year at 9 Kid Fitness, I want to thank all of you who have visited our site, contributed with comments, and just checked in with us via Facebook and Twitter. Launching last March, my hope was to engage with others who are trying to make fitness a priority in their very busy lives. Thank you for being a part of the 9 Kid Fitness community, and I hope that we will continue to find support and encouragement from each other in 2012! Today I would like to look back over the last year and highlight nine of the most visited posts at 9 Kid Fitness:
1. Me vs. Victoria’s Secret I take on the image of women that Vicoria’s Secret portrays in their holiday commercials (among other things).
2. When I Run I Feel His Pleasure Many of us Feel God’s presence when we run, and in this post I talk about how it felt for me. [Read more…]
We CAN Get Stronger as We Age!
Increasing physical frailty as we age is not inevitable! It used to be assumed as fact that after age 40, people lose approximately eight percent or more of their muscle mass each decade. While this will happen if we are not exercising and working on developing strength through resistance training, newer research suggests that we can get stronger and leaner no matter what age we begin this type of exercise! Muscle is extremely important, especially for seniors, and not only because it keeps us strong. Muscle burns calories and helps us maintain our weight, and it contributes to balance and bone strength. Simply said, without our muscle strength, we can lose our independence as we age.
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Nine Great Christmas Gifts for the Fitness-Minded
1. Personalized Water bottle. Whether we run, swim, do yoga or lift weights, we all drink water before, during, or after we workout…so a water bottle is something most fitness lovers always need! And buying bottled water is not a cheap way to go. Stainless steel bottles work well because they can be put into a dishwasher to clean and they are very durable. Try the Sophiefont water bottle from the Catholic Company (of course I am going to put a plug in for our company…but these are really good looking and totally unique)!
2. Garmin Watch. These are not cheap, but are great for the runners on your list, especially if they might be training for a race soon. I don’t have a Garmin, but most of my running buddies do and they love them (maybe a little too much) for keeping track of splits, mileage, and average pace per mile. Although I have always fancied myself as a purest who doesn’t even wear a watch much of the time, I have to admit to asking my friends for all the data their Garmins have collected on a run. [Read more…]
My Take on the “No Pain, No Gain” Theory
I read an article recently about busting some of the myths of exercise. One of these myths was the “No pain, No gain” theory. The writer was referring to the false idea that in order to gain anything from exercise, a workout needed to hurt. It doesn’t, he explained. Most people understand this; we know that exercise shouldn’t “hurt” us. When we workout, we should not push past pain that could result in injury or exacerbate soreness or pain that could lead to injury. That being said, the proverbial phrase “No pain, No gain” is a true and significant one if we want to improve ourselves through exercise. [Read more…]
9 Kid Fridays
Jen’s Runnings and Ramblings…life of an inconsistent runner….
These are some blogs/websites I follow on twitter and that I think are interesting and fun to read! I had to include the Marine Corps Marathon site since I visit almost everyday for info on hotel, parking, etc. They have some inspirational stories of marines, soldiers, and sailors and their families who are involved with the marathon in some way. My family is running in a 5K race in Charlotte tomorrow…the Big South 5K! What are you doing? Have a great Friday and a super kid-fit weekend!
Nine Ways to a Leaner You
I was looking at a magazine lately and I had to put it down after a while because of the totally unrealistic figures of most of the women in it. I kept imagining my daughters flipping through it, and I was increasingly discouraged at the image it portrayed of skinny frail women “looking good”. Instead of thin or skinny, I think “lean” is a better ideal for women. This is because it can pertain to all body types; it simply means strong; but carrying less fat. Whether we are built “bigger” or “smaller”, we can all be lean because it has more to do with muscle mass than weight.
How do we become leaner? Here are nine ways…what would you add? [Read more…]
Lets Maximize Our Weekly Workouts!
Maximize your workouts
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Nine Ways to Recover Well After a Workout
1. Cool down. Cooling down (not stopping completely) is crucial after exercise. Continuing to move around at a very low intensity for 5 to 10 minutes after a workout helps remove lactic acid from our muscles and may reduce muscle stiffness. If you have been running, slow it down, then walk for 5 minutes. Don’t do what I did the other day and run to your car immediately after your long run without appropriately cooling down (I was late to getting #6 to a practice and couldn’t stay for a cool down – I really felt the stiffness almost immediately and was sore for a good 24 hours). [Read more…]
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