How to Find a Health Club or Fitness Center that’s Right for You
With the holiday season and the New Year fast approaching, many of us will be looking to get fit and to lose some weight to look our best. Sadly, many of these resolutions don’t last beyond the first month. The key to sticking to your resolutions is to find a good health club or fitness center that’s right for you. It has to have good, motivational staff that will encourage you to achieve your goals. It has to offer facilities, activities and workouts that you want to keep you going back. Most importantly, it has to be clean, affordable, and convenient.
Staff
A health club or fitness center with well trained staff that can motivate you is particularly important for beginner gym-goers. The staff must be able to answer your questions about any workouts and show you how to use the gym equipment. Be sure to ask about the staff and their qualifications. Also enquire if there are personal trainers available. A few sessions with a personal trainer can also be helpful to help you to map out your goals and encourage you along the way.
Facilities
Some health clubs or fitness centers offer only the most basic facilities while others have pools, saunas, and perhaps even a spa that offers massage therapies. Larger gyms may also have nutritional therapists attached. Ask about these additional benefits but try not to be dazzled by them. Too often, many of us sign up to these fitness centers with the best of intentions but do not use any of the facilities. Decide on what you want and don’t overcommit yourself to an expensive contract. If undecided, ask if the health club or fitness center has a trial period so you can determine what facilities you will really use.
Equipment
Before committing yourself to a gym, ask for a tour of the facilities and ask to test some of the equipment to make sure it is well maintained. There should be a wide variety of machines, including guided machines and cardio equipment like treadmills and ellipticals. If you enjoy working with free weights, make sure these are plentiful. Other popular equipment include fitness balls and floor mats.
Group fitness classes
We all have different workout preferences, with some preferring solitary workouts while others enjoy more structured programs with a larger group. If you prefer classes, make sure your gym has a good mix of group classes at convenient times throughout the day. Aerobics, Yoga and Pilates are popular options. If there is a specific workout program that you would like to try like Zumba or CrossFit, enquire if the gym offers those programs.
Cleanliness
On your tour of the facilities, make sure the health club or fitness center is clean, with appropriate locker space and well maintained toilets and showers. The workout area should have plenty of gym wipes, or disinfecting spray bottles dotted around the room with paper towels so you can wipe down the equipment after you have finished.
Contracts and costs
The right health club or fitness center should be within your price range. Most offer a variety of contracts to suit every budget. Some will have pay per use contracts while others charge a little more in exchange for allowing its members to visit different gyms in the chain. Some contracts will be monthly while others will be for the whole year. Shop around and compare prices, making sure to only pay for what you need. Also, enquire if you can put the contract on hold in case of illness or travel.
Convenience
One of the most important factors to consider when choosing a health club or fitness center is its convenience for you. If it is a hassle to get to, you will be more likely to give up your workout for the day. Make sure the gym is in a suitable location for you, with the appropriate operating hours. If early mornings are the only time that will work for you, make sure the gym opens early. If group classes are more your style, make sure these are at times that suit you. Visit the gym during peak times to ensure that it isn’t overcrowded as this will reduce your enjoyment of the workout. If you will need a child minded while you are working out, ask if the gym has childcare facilities. Don’t forget to ask about their operating policies during the holiday season.
The right fitness center or health club has to feel right for you. To help you decide, watch out for free trials or ask if they have a pay as you go option. Some gyms also have incentive periods where they waive joining fees or offer discounted trial memberships. Remember – the more you like the gym, the more likely you are to stick to your resolution so don’t be too quick to decide on the right gym for you.
2011 CrossFit™ Games Summary
The 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games™ were held in Carson, CA from July 29 to the 31st. The CrossFit Games™ are a three-day competition to determine the “world’s fittest athlete®.” CrossFit™ is a strength and conditioning training program used by athletes, martial artists, police academies and even the elderly. CrossFit™ offers the opportunity for all around fitness training or individual training needs.
The competition has many unique features for athletes and spectators alike. For athletes, the actual events for the competition were not revealed until the day of the event. With no way of knowing exactly what each day’s games would involve, the athletes had to be prepared for anything. The 2011 CrossFit Games™ tested not only physical endurance but also mental ability for handling the unknown and unexpected.
Spectators did not have to just watch the truly fit compete; they could participate in health activities themselves. A Workout of the Day section was available and stocked with equipment for spectator’s use. Score charts were even available and an award was available for “Fittest Spectator on Earth®.” Coaching was also available in the training area from subject matter experts. Even vendors got in on the action by providing mini-workouts. Children were not only welcome at the event, a special rock-climbing wall and bounce house were available for their use.
Let the competition begin:
The Games opened with a six-week on-line competition covering one workout per week. This portion of the event ran from March 15 to May 1. More than 26,000 athletes participated from all areas of the world. Proof of the workouts could be submitted from affiliate gyms or by a home video of the workout.
Competition categories broke down as follows:
• Men
• Women
• Masters men
• Masters women
• Teams
For the first time in the course of the events, the Masters category divided into four age groups. These groups were broken down as 45-49, 50-54, 55-59 and the over 60-age group. In addition, performance totals could be viewed by country or worldwide. Scores were also broken down over the six-week time period leading up to the competition.
Teams and individual athletes had to move through two stages to reach the final Games. The Open round was open to all entrants. The second stage was the Regional, which took the best 30 teams, 60 individual men and 60 individual women from each of 17 world regions. The Regional’s were held on weekends running from May 27 to June 19. From each Regional event only three teams, three men and three women emerged to be invited to the ultimate competition.
And the winners are:
CrossFit New England, CFNE, took home the 1st place award and $30,000. Second place went to Denver’s Front Range CrossFit team. Canada’s Team Taranis finished third.
For the Master’s division in the 45-50 age group the winners were Scott DeTore and Susan Habbe. In the 50-55 group, Gord Mackinnon and Mary Beth Litsheim took top spots. Steve Anderson and Shelley Noyce won first places in the 55-60 year old division. Rounding out the Masters in the over 60 group, the winners were Greg Walker and Betsy Finley.
Rich Froning Jr. was been named the Fittest on Earth in the 2011 individual men’s competition. In the women’s division, Annie Thorisdottir earned her title of Fittest on Earth. Both of these individuals finished in second place in 2010 and their determination paid off for this year’s championship.
Join in on CrossFit™ training:
CrossFit™ training can be done by all levels of athletes either on their own or at affiliate centers. CrossFit™ also provides videos, instructions and recommended levels of fitness for those just starting out on athletic training.
Gym packages are available for athletes in all levels of training:
• A Basic Strength Training Package includes an International Bar with Spring Collars, and weights from 10 pounds to 45 pounds.
• The Intermediate Package adds acrobatic exercise to strength training and includes bars and weights, plus a 55-pound Kettlebell, 20-pound Medicine Ball and Gymnastic Rings.
• The next level adds stamina training to strength and gymnastics with an Ab Mat and Quad Speed Cable Jump Rope.
Packages for CrossFit™ Gyms are also available in Gold and Platinum sets. Larger packages are available for filling the needs of groups that wish to work out together. Individual pieces of equipment can also be purchased to supplement each athlete’s needs. Some additional items available are:
• Agility Ladders
• Dip Belts
• Foam Exercise Rollers
• Jump Ropes
• Hurdles
• Running Parachutes
For more information on Equipment packages click here.
CrossFit™ events, training, and seminars are held all across the United States and worldwide. Sign up early as events can sell out.
What is Functional Fitness?
Functional training is growing in popularity as more people besides weightlifters and high-performance athletes are hitting the gym. In the past, strength training was used mainly by bodybuilders and power lifters to increase muscle size and strength, according to the training manual, “NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training” by the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Today, people with fitness goals other than bulking up - such as weight loss and general fitness - are trying strength training. Research sponsored by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) indicates that functional training is particularly useful for older adults, but functional training is truly for everyone. Functional training provides a practical training method for benefits that extend out of the gym and into daily living.
General Benefits of Functional Training
Functional training utilizes exercises, equipment and programs that translate into the strength and flexibility that people use in every day life. Activities as simple as stepping up and down off a step or doing bicep curls standing on one leg can be functional exercises. These might not give a person huge biceps or a six-pack, but true fitness is not only what makes a person look better, according to the IDEA Health & Fitness Association. Functional training produces benefits to assist people in activities of daily living, such as walking up stairs, carrying groceries, and picking objects up off the floor. Functional training accomplishes this with such benefits as:
* Stronger Core Musculature
* Increased Flexibility
* Increased Strength
* Better Dynamic and Stationary Balance
* Improved Agility
* Improved Cardiovascular Endurance
* Better Posture
* Stronger Joints
Older Adults and Functional Training
As people get older, it is expected that they will lose muscle tone, flexibility and balance. This reduced strength and capacity for movement makes the need for functional training even greater for older adults. A study conducted in 2007 at the La Crosse Exercise and Health Program of the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse observed the effects of a functional training program on men and women between 58 and 78 years of age. The participants who engaged in a functional training program gained significant improvements in upper and lower body strength, balance, shoulder flexibility, and cardiovascular endurance. John P. Porcari, Ph.D., and Denise Milton, M.S., conducted the study that was later published in the July/August of 2007 issue of “ACE FitnessMatters.”
Improved balance also reduces chances of a potentially debilitating fall. Additionally, increases in functional strength make seniors more independent as they are again able to perform more of the tasks that they once could do without assistance.
Other Populations and Functional Training
Older adults are not the only people who need functional training. Most anyone can benefit from building a strong, flexible and agile body. The average person benefits from functional training because it slows or eliminates the potential loss of strength and mobility that comes with age. Despite some misconceptions, children and teenagers also benefit from strength training, according to ACE. This population has little need for heavy weight training or advanced sports-specific training, making functional training a more practical and enjoyable choice.
Goals and Tools of Functional Training
Functional training makes the physical aspects of life easier. The goal of functional training is not to lift as much weight as possible, known as maximal strength, or to drastically increase muscle tissue size, known as hypertrophy. Therefore, extremely heavy weights and weight machines are not the tools of choice for functional training. Instead, functional training involves resistance and core training using bodyweight, free weights and balance trainers.
Bodyweight exercises and free weights including kettlebells, dumbbells and resistance bands are effective for functional training because they require the body to lift weights without the support weight machines provides, thereby mimicking real-world scenarios. Even soup cans and water bottles can be effective functional training tools. When a person needs to lift a heavy box or raise their body up off the floor, there are no levers, pulleys or adjustable seats that control the weight and support the body as when using weight machines. Without the unnatural support of machines, functional training also improves body awareness.
Another popular functional training tool is the TRX Suspension Trainer. The TRX has two ropes with handles for the hands or feet that hang from the ceiling. This allows a person to use their own bodyweight as resistance for various exercises. The TRX is simply the latest trend in bodyweight, or body leverage, functional training. Yoga, Pilates, boot camp classes, and even fitness pole dancing are also examples of functional training programs.
Balance trainers also work for functional training. They are small tools that create an unstable surface on which a person can stand, kneel, sit or lie upon. For some individuals, standing on one foot is enough of a balance challenge, but for others there are balance trainers such as the Sportstep and Step360. A Sportstep has two sides, either of which can rest on the floor. One side is half of a stability ball and the other is a flat platform. Both sides wobble when a person lies, stands or sits upon it. Balancing while standing on an unstable surface improves proprioception, which is the body's ability to discern where its parts are in physical space. Increased proprioception translates to better balance. Balance training also requires greater recruitment of core muscles, which is why crunches on a round, inflated stability ball are harder than regular crunches on a flat, unmoving surface like the floor. Even a pillow or folded towel can serve as a balance trainer.
Functional training may be receiving more attention now, but it has always been part of exercise in some form or another. Gymnasts, soldiers and yoga practitioners have been using functional training to build better bodies for years. Gym goers or home exercisers benefit from functional training with little financial investment and only a few days a week of functional workouts.
Rethinking Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are a simple, inexpensive way to strengthen your skeletal muscles. There has been resistance (no pun intended) to resistance bands by some people because of how they say resistance bands feel when they’re using them. Resistance bands are unlike dumbbells or barbells because you don’t know exactly how much you’re lifting. While this is true, the amount you lift basically depends on how you use them. If you put the right amount of tension and use good form, you can get a tough, beneficial workout from resistance bands. Plus, how would you like to have an entire gym in your suitcase when you travel? This is possible when you carry on resistance bands because of the variety of exercises you can do. You can change directions during your exercises and challenge your balance and core. Here are few exercises that can amount to a full body workout to get you started today.
1) Bicep Curl- Stand on the resistance band with one foot or both if you want to challenge yourself. Grab the handles and pull up like you’re doing a dumbbell curl. Do three sets of ten.
2) Squat- Stand on the resistance band with both feet and hold the handles up to your shoulders. Lower yourself until your legs are a ninety degree angle. Come back up. Do three sets of ten.
3) Chest Press- Wrap the resistance band around a pole. Stand with your back to the pole. Press forward and release. Do three sets of ten.
4) Seated Row- Turn around after chest press. Pull handles in towards you making sure to squeeze your back as you go all the way back. Release. Do three sets of ten.
Torch Your Abs with Stability Balls
Every time I go into my gym, the treadmills and elliptical machines are being occupied, and there seems to be a never-ending line at the weight benches. While these pieces of equipment are all fantastic and should be included in your workout, I must bring attention to a simple piece of equipment that always appears to be forgotten, the stability ball. Stability balls are a wonderful way to shape and strengthen your core. They force all of your abdominal muscles to work to perform the exercise, thereby giving you a complete core workout. Too often, sit ups or crunches only touch on some of the abdominal muscles, which only cheats you of the fitness and health goals you want. Benefits of a strong core include better balance, more energy, better posture, and less risk of injury. Here are four stability ball exercises to fire up your core now:
1) Leg Tuck: With this exercise, you work your lower abs. Put your hands on the floor and toes on ball like you’re in an elevated push-up stance. Roll the ball to your chest by bending your knees and then roll it back. Feel free to roll diagonally to work the obliques.
2) Around the World: Sit on the stability ball with your feet to the floor. Circle your torso to the left and then back to the starting stance. Repeat on the right side. This will work your obliques as well.
3) Ball Sit: Lean against the wall with the stability ball separating you. The stability ball should be against your lower back. Go down so that your legs make a right angle. Hold for a minute. This will work your glutes and core.
4) Ball Sit-Up: This is a sit-up on the stability ball. Sit on the ball and put your feet out so that your knees make a ninety degree angle. Place your hands behind your elbow and lie all of the way back. Squeeze your abs and come all the way up. Fall back and repeat.
Kettlebells Can Maximize Your Gains
You may have heard the term kettlebells in your gym or read the word in Men’s Health, but many people who exercise don’t incorporate them into their training routine, which is quite the disservice. The best way to describe kettlebells is that they are cannonballs with handles. Unlike dumbbells, the majority of the weight of kettlebells is beyond the reach of the hand. Yet just like dumbbells and resistance bands, kettlebells are an effective way to build strength and gain a complete cardiovascular workout.
The reason for their effectiveness is in their shape. Since the weight is beyond the reach of the hand, it is tougher to control kettlebells. The hands, arms, back, legs, and core must work harder to maintain form. This increase in muscle activity means an increase in metabolic output, which means more fat lost.
Kettlebells put a new spin on old exercises. A key component of building mass and strength is tricking the muscles. If you do the same routine each time you work out, you and your muscles will get bored. You will not put in the same effort, and your gains will plateau. Doing a chest fly with kettlebells, rather than dumbbells, changes the exercise completely resulting in mass and strength increases. Plus, kettlebells are versatile and can be used to work out many different parts of the body. It is possible to do a total body circuit workout with just two kettlebells and push your body to the limit. Kettlebells are a necessity in any home gym and should make an appearance in your fitness regimen if you are looking for something different that will make you leaner and stronger.
Hot Summer Fitness Trends for 2011
Whether you are looking to show off that tanned body in a bathing suit; taking your workout to the next level; or avoiding that dreaded plateau; new summer fitness trends of 2011 will help shape that body for summer fun. New techniques and methods will keep you focused, on track, and definitely motivated. You can go high tech or add to your program as desired.
Mobile Applications:
Even though there is no replacing the personal touch in fitness training, it has however, been coupled with online technology for social interactions, on Facebook and on Twitter. Message boards and community forums give support for working out, losing weight, and how to eat right. There are many software programs to choose from, including the popular Wii Fit and numerous virtual weight loss plans for slimming down.
CrossFit Training:
The CrossFit training program is the newest kid on the block and is designed to make a person proficient in all areas of physical fitness skills: namely agility, balance, coordination, flexibility, cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength/power/speed, and accuracy.
The aim is to achieve Olympic standards in the building of a super athlete. For conditioning and strengthening exercises, dumbbells and kettle bells are used; as well as pull-up bars, gymnastic rings, and your own body weight. Physical activities include weight and power lifting, kettle bell training, sprinting, gymnastics, and plyometrics (exercises combining speed and strength).
These moves serve to stimulate neurological and hormonal processes across metabolic pathways. CrossFit is currently being used in nearly 2000 gyms globally; by military organizations; firefighters; and law enforcement agencies.
Additional information for CrossFit can be found here:
What is CrossFit?
CrossFit Training
2011 CrossFit Games
Equipment Packages for CrossFit Affiliates and Home Gyms
Find a CrossFit Gym
Interval Training:
Interval training is gathering a great deal of interest for summer trends as it focuses on high intensity movements for greater endurance and better strength training. It is based on short segments of 20-30 seconds of high impact moves, with a 10- second rest in between. It is suggested to do 8-9 sets of these segments, to promote higher metabolic rate and cardiovascular health. This approach can be done anywhere, anytime, and is not a lengthy workout.
TRX Suspension Training:
This method of working out is based on simple exercise gear, with heavy straps and pulleys. It is both portable and practical for traveling purposes; can be hooked up to any above-head security; or over the doorway (closed). The TRX suspension apparatus is fantastic for a full body workout, focusing on flexibility, power, strength, balance, and speed. The American Navy, with remarkable and effective results, is using TRX suspension training.
Boot Camp:
Boot Camp has been around for a number of years, but continues to be popular and successful as a fitness trend. Modeled after military boot camps and basic training, this method incorporates cardiovascular exercises, strength, endurance, flexibility, and high intensity. Since this regime can be done both indoors or out, students remain interested and get desirable results within a short period of time. However, people training under Boot Camp should do so only under the guidance of a good teacher, because if moves are not done properly, a person can easily sustain an injury.
New Gym Classes:
Zumba Dance classes continue to be popular at local health clubs. Even though it has been around since 2001, it is still picking up momentum as a fun, dance- fitness program. With Latin-inspired moves and sexy hot international music, Zumba is being practiced in over 110,000 locations, in 125 countries.
Spinning is also popular at local gyms. Being able to cycle and sweat, without unpleasant consequences from the environment, have people flocking to join these classes.
Fitness centers are also stepping up their programs for a more holistic approach - catering to the younger set, as well as to baby boomers. Wellness programs have been set up to deal with stress management. as well as services that include teaching clients to make smarter food choices, while exercising portion control. Although Pilates is out as a new trend, modified fitness yoga classes are still going strong.
Individual/Small Group/Community/Corporate Fitness:
Still, the ultimate trend in summer fitness is to reach out as far as possible to the masses. Whether it is to enlist the services of a personal trainer; initiate a buddy system, family fitness, school/ community activities or sports; all serve to promote benefits of everyday health and fitness. Even corporations understand the need for fit and healthy employees, as this promotes better production in the workplace. By having on-site gyms, or offering employee-discounted memberships to gyms, gives an employee the opportunity to exercise before/after work, or during lunch hours.
So get into gear, form that beach volleyball team and show off that fit body, using summer fitness trends!
5 Must Have Workout Products for the Home
Working out at home is becoming one of the most common ways people go about getting into shape and loosing weight. The are many advantages to working out at home, for instance, its comfortable, private, and everything is yours. One of the keys to having a good, successful workout is the type of products you are using to work out. Also, depending on what area of your body you are targeting, you want to make sure that you have exactly what you need in order to get the job done.
Listed below are five MUST have home workout tools. How you use them and when you use them are completely up to you, but in order to get a successful and rewarding workout you will need these items, at least.
Exercise balls, also known as stability balls, are used for many different workouts and exercises. Those include aerobics, balance, flexibility, strength rehab, stability, and toning. All of these exercising come down to core training and with the many different types of exercise balls, such as medicine balls and weighted balls, you will be sure to get in a good core workout.
Resistance bands can be used as a substitute for all kinds of expensive home gym machines. These bands come in all shapes and sizes and go by many different names including stretch bands and resistance cords. You can work on all different muscles groups from your upper body to your lower body. Another object that these resistance bands substitute for are pull up bars. All though you cannot actually lift yourself off of the ground with these bands, you can simulate the exact same back and chest workout that you would get from a pull up bar.
Weights are a must have. Whether you have them in the form of kettle bells or dumbbells, they are a requirement for upper and lower body success. Although the kettle balls allow for swinging moves that you cannot easily do with regular dumbbells, they both come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. Find a set that fits you, because having your own set will allow you to make progress weekly or daily depending on how often you work out.
Plyometric boxes are key for the success of an awesome leg or lower body workout. Simple routines that are performed by using these boxes or steps prove amazing results. Plyometrics steps and boxes come in different heights for different people. It is about challenging yourself to the burning repetition of a leg workout and looking forward to the end reward.
Finally, everyone needs a little cardio love. Whether you prefer a treadmill or an elliptical, you need to get your cardio workout in no matter what. Both machines are commonly used and it is more a personal preference. Regardless, they can be used for a therapeutic workout, a warm up, or a cool down.
Remember, these are only five of many different workout products. These are simple and will get the job done especially for being at home. They also won’t cost you an arm and a leg like many of the big home gym machines out there.
By possessing these must have products, you can significantly get into shape and loosing weight and bettering your health is what it is all about. Bettering your health not only includes medical conditions, such as blood pressure and metabolism, but also personal conditions such as getting rid of acne and improving your physical appearance. Whatever the reason may be, having these five workout products can improve you health tremendously.
Dehydration The Sign and Symptoms
Considering the human body is made up roughly of 70% water, drinking fluids on an ongoing basis is necessary for maintaining bodily functions and preventing dehydration symptoms. Reality is, most people do not drink enough water throughout the day. Although the amount needed is dependent on body weight, general rule of thumb is to drink at least eight glasses of water daily.
Dehydration occurs when more water is lost from the body than is taken in. Water is lost routinely each day through the processes of breathing, sweating, urination, and elimination. While water is found mostly in body cells, the rest is distributed in blood vessels and in spaces between the cells.
Water balance in the body is so critical and so well-regulated that if water is lost from blood vessels, this loss is automatically replaced by moving water from cells into blood vessels. Signs and symptoms of dehydration occur quickly if this loss of water is not replenished. The first recognizable sign is thirst; the body is getting dry and needs a drink of water.
Causes of Dehydration:
Sweat - People lose water through sweating; exercising intensely; or fever due to an infection. A person can lose a pound of water just by taking a brisk walk on a hot day. It is important this loss be replaced as quickly as possible.
The Elderly - Older people are quite vulnerable during heat waves, as they tend to thirst more slowly and are less likely to recognize signs of dehydration. In the Chicago Heat Wave of 1995, approximately 600 people died in their homes from heat exposure.
Illness - When illness strikes and people are dealing with vomiting or diarrhea, a great deal of water is lost from the body. It is difficult to hold down fluids with bouts of vomiting. As for diarrhea, 4 million children die each year, worldwide, from effects of dehydration.
Diabetes - For people who are diabetic, when blood sugar levels are high, sugar tends to draw water, making its exit through the process of urination. Therefore, having diabetes often involves frequent thirst and frequent urination, making it easier to become dehydrated.
Extreme Fluid Loss - This can come about through conditions of cholera (from contaminated water/food), resulting in vomiting/diarrhea and consequent dehydration. Bulimia (purging) can cause dehydration, as well as the excessive use of diuretics (water pills), along with a low-salt diet. Stomach flu lasting 36 hours can also cause extreme water loss.
Signs and Symptoms of Dehydration:
Initial signs of dehydration are thirst and a decreased output of urine. At this stage, urine becomes more concentrated and is yellow in color. In addition, a person can experience dry mouth; weakness or fatigue; dry skin or flushing; head rushes or chills.
A 5% fluid loss can result in symptoms of:
*Increased heart rate/respiration/body temperature
*Decreased sweating/urination
*Extreme fatigue/headache
*Nausea
*Muscle cramps or tingling in the limbs
A 10% fluid loss constitutes severe dehydration and requires immediate medical attention. Symptoms associated with severe dehydration are:
*Pale, cool, clammy skin or shriveled skin
*Difficulty breathing, racing pulse
*Chest and abdominal pain, muscle spasms
*Low blood pressure, loss of valuable electrolytes
*Seizure, unconsciousness, organ failure, even death (the brain is most vulnerable to dehydration)
Prevention:
The best way to prevent dehydration is to drink consistently throughout the day (eight glasses minimum). An infant is considered well-hydrated if the diaper is wet at every change.
Avoid doing outdoor activities in high temperatures; hold events under shaded areas. If you must work in a hot environment, hydrate frequently to replenish water loss.
When suffering from vomiting or diarrhea, change one's diet or use medications to control the degree of fluid loss. When recovering from such symptoms, clear fluids are usually recommended for the first 24 hours. Then one should progress to what is called a BRAT diet, starting with bananas, then rice, apples and toast, in that order. Add more foods when tolerated.
Imodium can be taken to control diarrhea; acetaminophen or ibuprofen to address fever.
Symptoms of dehydration can differ from person to person, as well as from differing ages. Children lose more fluids through vomiting and diarrhea than adults, while the elderly are more prone to fluid loss than younger adults.
What is CrossFit?
Human beings have evolved over countless millennia in a cross training environment. They ran, jumped, stretched, pushed, punched and climbed. They lifted weights, threw heavy objects, rowed and pulled. They did all this just to survive in a challenging world. Then, with the advent of post industrial society, they forgot what their bodies were designed to do. CrossFit winds back the clock and gets bodies doing what they were meant to once again.
1. What CrossFit is, and what it is not
The exercises
CrossFit is a broad-based fitness program concentrating on varied functional exercises. High intensity training is punctuated with short rest intervals for maximum effect. There is a focus on weight handling and gymnastics, but the inclusive programs make sure that running, cycling, swimming, rowing, climbing and sporting activities all receive their proper attention. Having fun and friendly competitiveness are seen as important motivators, and for this reason leading practitioners have dubbed it ‘the sport of fitness’.
The fitness areas
The ten areas of fitness in which CrossFit aims to make the body function at its best are cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. The optimization of these factors for all participants is the aim, and the comprehensive nature of the program makes it able to be customized to suit all ages and shapes, all degrees of strength and endurance and most health concerns.
Inclusiveness
The inclusive nature of CrossFit means that its adherents are not just elite athletes and professionally fit members of the military and police services. Followers come from a cross-section of society, and training can be undertaken either in the specialized environment of an affiliated gym, or in your own ‘garage gym' fitted out with a minimum of basic equipment. To help home-based fitness enthusiasts, the CrossFit website publishes a ‘Workout of the Day’ in a prime position at the top of its home page.
Rejects specialization
CrossFit is not a system of compartmentalized training, but a program for wide-ranging health and fitness. Specialization in a training regime only serves to limit the capacities of the participant to a restricted subset of abilities and skills. CrossFit is not bodybuilding and it is not machine-driven, relying instead on simple pieces of apparatus, which mimic the devices handled by mankind’s healthy ancestors.
2. How you can benefit from CrossFit training
Health benefits
By addressing cardio respiratory fitness during CrossFit training you will be taking important steps towards combating heart disease, lowering blood pressure and fixing cholesterol. Regular physical activity, according to the Mayo Clinic, can improve your health, in fact your life in general, in seven different ways. CrossFit also offers a guide to diet and nutrition to maximize the benefits derived from training.
Performance benefits
Whether you are a homemaker or a firefighter, an Olympic athlete or an active grandparent, you will want to carry out your duties and live your life to the best of your physical ability. CrossFit’s functional and varied exercises work on improving, not just maintaining, your fitness level and core strength. As your body adapts to the regular exercises it will increase its production of the hormones that promote muscle mass and bone density.
Having fun
Getting off the couch and into a community of like-minded people intent on physical improvement has to be good for your mind as well as your body. You will enjoy the competitive spirit as you strive to outdo each other in performance or thresholds, or participate in team and sporting activities.
3. How to find CrossFit gyms
There are approximately 2,500 registered CrossFit affiliates around the world, so finding a licensed gym is easy. Simply go to the affiliates page at the CrossFit website and select either your US state, or your country if you live outside the US. You will be presented with the names of affiliated gyms in your area and a web link for contact details.
Founder Greg Glassman says that the CrossFit prescription is “constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movement.” Combined with the recommended sensible nutrition it’s a simple recipe for a better and more enjoyable life within the body you were given.
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