Monthly Archives: February 2012

As athletes or simply people interested in good fitness, stretching is often advised as a pre-workout or pre-exercise regime to insure that the body’s muscles are ready for the rigor.

Turns out that might not necessarily be right. According to many medical studies, stretching the major muscle groups – legs, arms, shoulders – does indeed help with range of motion and overall flexibility, but there is no evidence that stretching itself prevents injuries or prepares the body for a robust workout.  In fact, these studies indicated, that stretching alone does not curb muscle soreness that may come from a workout.

Having said that, there are many devotees to stretching, at least in part, just look at the popularity of yoga. There is also, of course, meditation involved with the practice of yoga, and those who regularly attend yoga classes often cite the improved range of motion they enjoy, and an overall sense of “well being.” That, in and of itself, may be a good argument for stretching, in the “if it feels good, do it” school of thought.

For exercise regimes, however, most experts advise that the most important pre-workout routine for injury prevention and to avoid muscle soreness is the warm-up. Also, if stretching is to be a part of your pre-exercise routine, experts advise that you do so after a good warm-up – stretching first, with muscles not quite awake, could cause tension and pain.

For a warm-up, the most common advice is to – literally -- warm up the muscle group you intend to exercise for 5 to 10 minutes before exercising. This raises the core temperature of the body and the muscles before straining. Some of the recommendations include walking, swimming, jogging in place, and other aerobic exercises: skipping rope, rowing machine, stair climbing, elliptical, Stairmaster, etc. The object here is to work slowly at first and a little harder as the minutes go on, but just to the place where you begin to sweat. At this point, the body and the muscles should be ready for the brisk workout you have planned.

And, of course, just as important is a period of cool-down after the workout. Once again, walking or some other aerobic activity, at a slower and slowing pace for 5 to 10 minutes, will allow the body time and the movement necessary to adjust to normal physical activity.

Actually, it is here, after the cool-down, when many experts recommend stretching. At this point, stretching can help relax and balance tension on the muscles that have just been through a workout.

So what is proper stretching? Typically, good stretching exercises are referred to as static stretching. The muscle are slowly elongated and put through the full range of motion, holding the position at the point of full extension, without pain, for 15 to 30 seconds. For the thighs, for example, this may involve sitting and raising one’s knee toward the chin as far as comfortable and holding it, and then standing and flexing the leg outward and inward as far as comfortable and holing it. You know how your leg moves, and each person knows how far they can go in range of motion comfortably, although over time this range of motion should increase.

There are also other forms of stretching. Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) is a physical therapy procedure most often used by sports therapists to help athletes regain range of motion after an injury that has prevented normal workouts. PNF essentially involves both passive and isometric contractions, beginning slowly and increasing over time as range of motion is restored or is boosted. There is also ballistic stretching, which involves bouncing during a stretch, but most exercise coaches have dismissed ballistic stretching as dangerous.

As you can see, stretching is a very valuable technique for improving and maintaining range of motion, however it is the warm-up that is critical to a safe and proper fitness regime.

And because you want to look great while warming up, exercising, stretching, and cooling down, Ladies Only Sports has all of the fashionable, functional and flexible workout apparel and gear you’ll ever need.

We all get hunger pangs and crave way too much of a bad thing from time to time, so the object is to find ways to lessen the impact and stay healthy

CHOCOLATE, that word alone gets a lot of women’s attention, in fact for many women too much attention. Or maybe it’s potato chips, or a white chocolate mocha…   All of us (and least everyone I know) have cravings from time to time or sometimes all the time.  How do we curb these cravings without depriving ourselves?  For me chocolate soothes my soul.  It makes me feel happy, I know the endorphins are firing on all cylinders when I’m enjoying anything chocolate.  But here’s what I’ve found… I can make better choices and still be satisfied.

Food cravings come in all forms and fashions and – for the most part – represent something that should be curbed, if not for basic health reasons then for weight loss as a path to skinnier jeans. There are ways to beat the cravings, though, and we at Ladies Only Sports searched high and low for the Top Five Tips to Curb Food Cravings.

Before we get to the tips, however, we’ll take a closer look at cravings themselves. First, hunger pangs are not necessarily bad food cravings. Our bodies are wonderful machines that actually crave some essentials from time to time. A craving for sugar, for instance, might be sign that blood glucose levels are low and the body needs a lift. A desire for meat could be a protein deficiency, and a taste for salt may simply be a need for more calcium. Or, you could actually be hungry which is, after all, a natural process. These types of things fall under the heading of physiological cravings, the body sending out signals that it needs some nutrition. You can’t starve, for goodness sake, so we’ve got to pay attention to these cravings.

The trouble is that the body wants what the body wants. If you’re overweight, for example, the body gets used to a certain amount of fat and so craves it at a level that won’t foster weight loss or even better health. You need nutrition from food, you’ve got to fuel yourself, so the challenge is getting the right kind of fuel.

Then there’s the other kind of craving, psychological craving, that’s right girl, comfort food.  We all have them, and for me the list is long (and tasty), but I know they can be really counter-productive. I could make a really good convincing argument to eat these comfort foods on a daily basis, but I still know the outcome and that in the end they are all just excusing to continue on the path of bad habits. The triggers for psychological cravings can be emotional, habitual, hormonal and often times really strong! This is typically the type of craving that sends someone to the fridge, freezer or cookie jar in search for a little “feel good treat”, the problem with that is most of us want to feel really good, so that leads to eating in excess.  Here in lies the real problem.

There are a variety of studies that show that virtually 100% of women (shocking, I know) and as much as 70% of men have food cravings from time to time. The object is to not give in to the wrong kind of eating, and these Five Tips to Curb Food Cravings should help:

1)      Eat a healthier, balanced diet. Sounds simple, but getting all the basics in a normal healthy diet will in and of itself curb hunger. The body needs vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, fiber – the essentials.  All of these can and should be acquired through a proper diet, so have a variety of foods each day from each of the four major food groups: 1), breads and cereals; 2) vegetables and fruits; 3), milk and dairy products or milk substitutes (as low-fat as possible); and, 4), lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts or meat substitutes.

2)      Eat more often. There is quite a bit of time between the standard meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner, and if a person gets really hungry there is a tendency to overeat at the next meal or to load up on something less healthy, like French fries with a ton of saturated fat (a major no-no). So snack a little mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and even mid-evening – try a few almonds, a granola bar, apple slices, or some vegetables. They will satisfy the hunger with far fewer calories than junk and keep your appetite in check at mealtime.

3)      Drink more water. Drink water until you feel like you will float away! Odd as it may seem, water is a great appetite suppressor almost immediately, and staying fully hydrated will actually cut cravings. Nutritionists agree that a dehydrated person often craves more sweets, or salt or even fatty foods, so simply drinking water will go a long way in curbing cravings. Drink a nice, 8-oz. glass of water every hour.  And drinking cold water burns more calories!

4)      Stay away from the object of the obsession. In other words, don’t buy junk food. If it’s not in the cupboard or the frig, it’s less likely you will make the trip to the store. When the pang hits, eat a piece of fruit or some nuts.  My personal favorite now is frozen banana slices that have been dipped in dark chocolate (yes, I said it, chocolate, but at least it’s dark chocolate), and one little dark chocolate banana bite is enough to satisfy me.

5)      There are tons of people who report they get cravings from stress and boredom, so the real issue is to deal with the stress and boredom in other ways than giving into food cravings. Phone a friend, or get out and get some exercise.  We all know that you feel better when you get moving and it’s even better if you have a girlfriend to get moving along with you.  If you follow the first four tips listed here, your body will be in better shape to handle whatever stresses life dishes out, but when stress or boredom set in talking with a trusted friend could easily alleviate the root cause and take the place of cravings.

And just so you know; since most everyone, particularly women, have food cravings it’s okay to indulge once in a while. Just make simple “do-able” changes.  Switch to dark chocolate, or to low-fat frozen yogurt, or allow yourself one day a week to indulge, find what works for you. Willpower is just that—powerful; exert some willpower and it will pay off in the end, you will look better, feel better, and that will be the reward in the end.

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