Fitness 19: Newbury Park

06/13/2016

How to Get a Flat Belly With Crunches

The quiet time you have sitting in front of the television at night can be an ideal time to crank out a few sets of crunches -- helping you build your abdominal muscles. If you're set on getting a flat belly, however, you have to take a broader approach and do more than just those crunches.

Step 1
Incorporate calorie-burning cardio into your routine on three to six days a week. To burn fat anywhere on your body, you have to do fat-burning exercise. That means cardiovascular exercise that gets your heart pumping faster. Aim for 30 to 60 minutes of walking, running, cycling, swimming, aerobics, dance or any other activity you enjoy. To lose 1 pound of fat, you have to create a caloric deficit of 3,500 calories.

Step 2
Perform abdominal exercises every other day. Like other muscles, your abdominal muscles need time to rest and generate new muscle tissue -- so don't do abs work every day.

Step 3
Focus on the abdominal crunches that pack the most punch. According to the American Council on Exercise, two of the most effective abdominal exercises are the bicycle crunch and crunches on an exercise ball. To do the bicycle crunch, lie on the floor with your legs straight out and put your hands behind your ears. Raise one knee as you raise your upper back off the floor and meet the opposite elbow to that knee. Lower that knee and elbow as you raise the opposite knee to meet the other elbow. For the exercise ball crunch, rest your upper and middle back on the ball and place your feet on the floor; keep your knees bent. Put your hands behind your ears and raise your upper back off the ball. Slowly lower back down to complete one repetition.

Step 4
Mix up your routine every four to six weeks. To start out, try doing two or three sets of 20 repetitions of the above-named exercises. After that four to six weeks, however, alter your routine, or your muscles will become adapted to the workload and you won't make as much progress as you did in the beginning. Try other effective abs exercises such as planks with an exercise ball, the captain's chair exercise or crunches with your legs elevated in a vertical position. You can also vary your routine by changing the tempo or the number of repetitions.

06/09/2016

What Kind of Massage Is Best for Sore Muscles From Exercise?

Massage is a form of alternative medicine that has been used to relieve a variety of ailments for centuries, including anxiety, insomnia, joint pain, headache, fibromyalgia and much more. Most people visit massage therapists for stress reduction and muscle tension relief, but studies indicate that massage may also be an effective tool for improving exercise-related muscle soreness. Talk with your doctor to make sure massage therapy is a safe option for you.

The Cause of Sore Muscles
In order to learn how massage alleviates muscle soreness, it's important to understand what causes muscle soreness in the first place. Tiny tears in muscle fibers occur during exercise, which is part of the body's natural remodeling process. When the body rebuilds torn muscle fibers, that lean mass becomes larger and stronger. The muscle tears associated with exercise cause inflammation and pain for 48 to 72 hours after exercise -- an effect known as delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS.

How Massage Helps
A study on the role of massage in the attenuation of muscle soreness was published in the February 2012 issue of, "Science Translational Medicine." Researchers performed five muscle biopsies on 11 subjects at varying points during vigorous cycling and massage. They found that massage reduced the production of cytokines, a compound critical to the inflammation response in DOMS. Massage also stimulated cell function and repair. Another study published in the July 2005 issue of the "Journal of Athletic Training" tested the effectiveness of massage for relieving DOMS after eccentric exercise. Researchers concluded that subjects who were given post-exercise massage experienced significantly less muscle soreness than those who were not.

Best Types
There are a variety of types of massage, the most popular of which are Swedish, deep tissue, ayurvedic, myofascial release, trigger point and sports massage. Sports massage and deeper techniques may be better for relaxing extremely tight muscles, but a light Swedish massage can provide the anti-inflammatory benefits that reduce DOMS. Massage type is largely based on personal preference -- some people prefer deep, intense massages, while others tend to stick with a lighter relaxation massage.

Massage and Injury
While massage can be useful in reducing muscle soreness, studies have yet to draw a connection between massage and injury prevention or healing. A study that appeared in the "British Journal of Sports Medicine" in 2003 was unable to prove that massage improved muscle function, in terms of strength or max torque -- suggesting that massage may not be an effective tool for improving performance. However, if muscles are tight due to DOMS, massage may help relax them and restore flexibility.

06/06/2016

Torrie Wilson / Photo by Lee Lhgfx II

06/02/2016

05/30/2016

Is 1000 Calories on an Elliptical a Good Way to Lose Weight?

Losing weight revolves around burning more calories than you consume in a given period. If you're able to burn 1,000 calories on an elliptical machine, you'll have a leg up on your weight-loss goal. The length of time you'll need to devote to burning 1,000 calories depends on your body type and intensity of the workout, but a handful of these workouts every week can help you reach a calorie deficit and melt the pounds away.

Exercise the Pounds Away
Forget about crash diets -- the best way to lose weight is by combining exercise and proper nutrition. Exercise takes many forms, but aerobic workouts are pivotal in weight loss. Using an elliptical machine, which provides an aerobic workout, is an ideal way to burn calories. The workout not only increases your heart rate, but also strengthens several muscle groups throughout your body. You'll shed one pound of fat when you combine exercise and nutrition to reach a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories.

Set Aside an Hour, More or Less
To lose a pound per week, a typical approach is to burn an extra 500 calories per day. Burning 1,000 calories on an elliptical machine won't necessarily result in this calorie deficit, but this workout will go a long way toward helping. A 200-pound person, according to HealthStatus, will burn 1,032 calories in an hour of using an elliptical machine. A lighter person will need to spend slightly longer on the machine, while a heavier person will reach the 1,000-calorie goal in less than an hour.

Be Careful of Overtraining
A daily elliptical machine workout might help you lose weight quicker, but it can also make you fatigued and not give your muscles adequate time to recover. Instead of being tempted to overtrain, devote three to five days per week to this workout. By working out three to five days a week, you'll likely meet the guideline of 300 minutes of weekly aerobic exercise for weight loss. The calories you burn can still be enough to improve your chance of losing weight, but you're less likely to develop a muscle strain that could limit your ability to perform future workouts.

Consider Your Diet and Overall Lifestyle
If you burn 1,000 calories on an elliptical machine on any given day, you've improved your odds of finishing that day in a calorie deficit. The time you spend away from the workout device, however, is pivotal if you wish to lose weight. Consume a healthy, low-calorie diet to avoid negating the calories you burned on the elliptical machine and strive to be as active as possible -- even if it's just taking a brisk walk around the block each evening. Include at least two strength-training workouts in your weekly fitness routine, too. Strength training plays a role in elevating your metabolism, which can help you lose weight faster.