Psychological Facts For Women
There is clear evidence that physical exercise with a Hamilton Personal Trainer provides individuals with a more positive self image and therefore results in improvements in mental health.
Level of physical activity is shown to be positively related to general well-being lower levels of anxiety and depression, and positive moods. The relationship is particularly strong for women and persons 40 years of age and over. Physical activity can have a effect on the personality of middle aged women. Women that exercise regularly have stronger feelings of well being, and appear to be less depressed during menopause.
For older women, regular physical activity can prevent the onset of old age; the age at which adults are not capable of performing desired exercises. If a woman remains physically active, she will enjoy the relative absence of aches and pains. She will be able to continue walking up and down stairs, and will remain somewhat independent. Older women who participate in sufficiently intense levels of physical activity experience significant physical benefits, including increased aerobic capacity, greater flexibility, reduced blood pressure and recovery time, and a lower incidence of osteoporosis.
Physical activity can prevent many health disorders for women. Obesity is related to under- activity and overeating, both of which predispose women to heart disease risk, hypertension, adult-onset diabetes, gall bladder disease and possibly cancer. In addition, research indicates that osteoporosis is associated with a sedentary lifestyle. It is important for all women to be provided with opportunities to be physically active. Weight bearing exercise of at least 30 minutes three times a week contributes to the prevention of osteoporosis in menopausal women.
There is evidence that exercise can effectively prevent and treat osteopo0rosis by cotributing to the building of maximum bone mass befor the age of 35, and maintaining bone mass during the rest of the life cycle. (Lesnkyj, Helen (1991), Winebm Sport and Physical Activity. Fitness and Amateur Sport, Ottawa. Government of Canada. Page 106.) An exercise program for menopausal women that includes both aroeobic training and resistance training may prevent or relieve problems such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, muscle weakness, osteoproosis, and depression. Increases in bone mineral content have been found at lumbar vertebral and distal radial sties in women who participate in exercise programs.
Principles of Weight Control – Part Two
Body Fat vs. Body Weight
Given the negative health effects of being “over-fat” (including a greater risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, gall bladder disease and certain forms of cancer), as a society we should be more concerned with the reduction of body fat instead of body weight. In fact, the the whole issue of “weight loss” itself needs to be re-evaluated: since low calorie diets have been proven to be unhealthy while providing only short-term results, they should be replaced with positive lifestyle changes that include both healthier eating habits and regular exercise. Instead of talking about losing weight, we should concentrate our efforts on losing fat. The term “fat loss” should replace “weight loss”, and we should evaluate progress using body fat percent, a mirror or even a measuring tape rather than the out-dated weight scale.
Energy Balance: The basic principle of weight control is one of energy balance: if you eat more calories than you burn off, you will eventually gain weight. Thus, if your ENERGY INPUT (total calories expended through metabolism and exercise), the excess calories are stored as fat in adipose tissue (fat tissue):
If your ENERGY INPUT equals your ENERGY OUTPUT, your weight WON’T CHANGE.
If your ENERGY INPUT is more than your ENERGY OUTPUT, you will gain weight.
If your ENERGY OUTPUT is more than your ENERGY INPUT, you will lose weight.
There are three ways to alter the energy balance equations in favor of losing weight. Eat less (reduce caloric intake below daily energy needs), exercise more (maintain current food intake while increasing energy expenditure through additional physical exercise), and lastly, a combination of the first two (slight reductions in caloric intake and moderate increases in physical exercise. Obviously, the third strategy is the most effective way to achieve healthy, gradual weight loss.
Facts About Fat
* Most North Americans eat about 35% more fat than is considered healthy.
* Dietary fat yields more than twice the calories per gram (approximately 9 kcal/g) as that yielded by carbohydrates or protein (approximately 4 kcal/g each).
*Research has linked high dietary fat intake with heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), obesity, gall bladder disease, diabetes, liver disease, cancer of the colon and breast cancer in women.
* Reducing saturated fat intake (from animal products) can help reduce blood cholesterol levels.
* A healthy percentage body fat should be about 17 – 22% in men and 19 -24% in women. These percentages usually increase with advancing age due to an increased sedentary lifestyle.
* The body’s fat stores are used as fuel for moderate, prolonged exercise. Thus continuous cardiovascular exercise of greater than 12 minutes duration is the best way to reduce fat stores in the body.
Strategies For Reducing Dietary Fat
*When cooking: boil, bake, steam or microwave instead of frying.
* Try to eliminate all deep fried foods.
* Choose the low fat varieties of mayonnaise, salad dressing and gravy.
*Replace sour cream with yougurt.
* Choose low fat (skim or 1%) dairy products, and add milk to coffee rather than cream.
* Mozzarella is by far the least fattening form of cheese because it is made from skim milk.
*Avoid “fast foods”, which are high in fat and salt and low in fibre.
* Choose lean cuts of meat, cut off visible fat (including poultry skin), and drain off any fat that cooks out of the meat.
TO MAINTAIN PROPER WEIGHT CONTROL AND OPDTIMAL BODY FAT LEVELS, A LIFETIME COMMITMENT TO PROPER EATING HABITS AND REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS REQUIRED!!
