Posts

Showing posts from November, 2016

Sugar: Friend or Foe

Image
Sugar is a form of carbohydrate, not a good one but it still does its job when taken in the right amount and at the right time. Most people do tend to eat loads of sugar while exercising little to nothing. Eliminating sugar will do two things as follows: Reduce the amount of calories that come from sugar. Alter mood. Sugar is famously irresponsible in changing mood by elevating serotonin and dopamine. In addition, some people accustomed to consuming lots of sugar daily, feel a sudden loss of energy when they entirely remove it from their diets.Instead of completely avoiding sugar (unless its a medical issue that requires immediate attention), its better to reduce it slowly over a period of few days, to a bare minimum. Say for example, if the current daily sugar consumption is 100grams, reducing 20grams every day for the next 4 - 5 days is a much better option.For healthy adults, the best time to consume sugar is around the workout i.e. either before, in-between or after the w...

Warming Up: Is it even necessary!

Most fitness enthusiasts make it a point to perform a short pre-workout ritual commonly known as the "Warm up" before moving onto their training session. This short duration activity is usually performed for few minutes and is lower in intensity and volume. Some common warm up techniques used by many are: Walking Light jogging     Running  Jumping jacks Arm Swings Hip Rotation The duration/repetition for each the above mentioned exercises performed is something which is  dependent more on the individuals "getting in the zone for training" capacity rather than a random arbitrary number which should be adhered to. Another variable here is the weather conditions in which the training is ought to be carried out. It takes much less effort to warm up the body and get ready both physically and mentally in the summers, in comparison to the winters. Following are some of the advantages of warming up before a training session: Increase in body temperature. ...