Fitness & Wellness

It doesn't happen very often, but sometimes, we see people have all the signs that they're working out too much. Yes, no matter how healthy exercise is, you can take it too far. Check your workout schedule. Are you working out for hours every day? Are you doing strength training for your whole body seven days a week? That can be a good indicator.

What are the dangers of over-exercising?

Over-exercising can be counterproductive. In fact, that's also one of the signs. If you're putting in more time in the gym and really exercising, but aren't seeing the results, you might need to cut back on workout time. Working out too much taxes the body. It doesn't give the muscles a chance to heal the small microtears, which build muscle tissue. It takes 48-hours or longer for those to heal, so you need to give the muscle groups a rest. If you want to do strength training daily, alternate muscle groups you work.

You might be getting colds and flu more frequently.

When you workout too much, it can affect your immune system. Even though exercise burns off the hormones of stress, strenuous exercise, particularly if it's done too frequently or for too long, can actually cause stress. While the muscle repairs, your immune system isn't efficient. It can take up to 72 hours for the immune system to return to normal. That's while the body is healing the microtears in the muscle that cause the muscle to grow. Overtraining can lead to a less efficient immune system.

Your body will tell you what you need to know.

If you're finding you're always exhausted or feel exhausted more quickly when you're physically active, you might be working out too much. Recovery also takes longer after a workout. You simply don't do as well as before and start losing ground. The harder and longer you workout, the worse it gets. Chronic fatigue, longer recovery time, anxiety, anger, depression and confusion are all signs you may be working out too much.

• Alternating your strength-building workout by working different parts of the body on different days or alternating aerobic, strength-building, flexibility and balance workouts can help.
• Exercise helps you fall asleep quicker, so if you find you suddenly have insomnia, you might be working out too much. You can still workout daily, just make alternate days a recovery workout.
• You'll feel tired sooner, indicating you're losing ground from working out too much, but you also may be losing muscle mass and increasing the amount of body fat you have.
• Your heart rate can tell you when you need rest. If your resting heart rate is normally 50 beats a minute, but it jumps to 80 beats a minute regularly, you might have stressed your body too much with too much exercise.

For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health & Fitness

If you're going through scientific journals trying to find the definition of superfood, you'll have a tough time. It's not an official term, but one used by writers, lay nutritional bloggers and others to offer a clearer mental picture of the quality of a specific food. It describes a food that's high in nutrients and offers an extraordinary number of health benefits. It's been used to describe many types of food from the exotic like goji berries, to the more mundane, like beets.

Sometimes, it's just Madison Avenue promoting food.

Marketing is important, even for natural foods. While an advertising agency may have come up with the idea that a particular food is a superfood, it doesn't mean the claim is empty. Superfoods have high nutritional content, especially when you compare it to the number of calories it contains and the ad agency drew your attention to the fact. Superfoods contain enzymes, phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals and healthy fat. They often offer the body multiple health benefits and/or healing properties. Always do your own research.

Most foods called superfoods are whole foods.

Throughout history, man has lived off the land. Many of the foods considered superfoods today have been around, in one form or another, as long as man or longer. Ancient grains are one example. Acai berries, chia seeds, mulberries and spirulina are a few better known ones. You may already know about others like lucuma fruit---gold of the Incas, sacha inchi and maca, which are growing in popularity for their health and nutritional benefits.

Easier options to find are healthy options that should be part of your diet.

You don't have to go to the jungle of the Amazon to find superfoods. They may be grown in your garden or on a farm close to you. Beets, for example, have been labeled a superfood. Nuts and seeds are high in nutrients and healthy fat, so some call them superfoods. Kefir and other fermented foods provide probiotic benefits and other nutrients. Olive oil, mushrooms, salmon, salmon and sweet potatoes often get the honor of being called superfoods, just as green leafy vegetables, green tea, berries, eggs and legumes do.

Superfoods also include spices and herbs. Garlic, turmeric and ginger are all included in that group. Don't forget many of the healing herbs that have been used for centuries, like holy basil and thyme.

If you're trying to decide whether your favorite fruit, vegetable or organic animal product is a superfood, just google it. In most cases, at least one site will call it that. It's because most whole foods provide a wealth of nutrients.

One ancient additive that's considered a superfood is nutritional yeast, which is often used in vegan recipes to give a cheesy flavor. It's high in B vitamins and the best source of B12, riboflavin.

One reason amla---the Indian gooseberry---is considered a superfood, is its ability to retain a high vitamin C content even when it's dried. It has 20 times more vitamin C than oranges and is an anti-aging food in powder form that you can add to drinks.

The changes in the body when you're under stress serve a purpose. Those changes were particularly important in early times, when the fight or flight response made the difference between survival and death. However, today, people in Lakeland, FL, and across the US now experience chronic stress part of daily living. Stress doesn't have to be as challenging as a death of a loved one or loss of a job. It can occur during happier situations, such as weddings or preparing to go on vacation. All stressors cause hormonal changes. They increase cortisol levels, can cause permanent changes to the body and affect your overall health and fitness.

The hormones of stress cause changes in your body.

The body and brain do not differentiate between real physical danger and the emotional threats faced in life. Both trigger the fight or flight response. The fight or flight response then sends hormones coursing through the body that are messengers to all parts of the body to prepare for combat or running as fast as possible. Like facial hair or where fat is deposited that is caused by sexual hormones, stress hormones increase heartrate, slow digestion to divert blood flow to the limbs. Cortisol is one of those hormones. Adrenaline and norepinephrine are two others.

Cortisol makes some important changes.

One of the most important changes that cortisol makes is to put more glucose in your bloodstream, which also sends it to the brain and extremities. It also causes another hormone to be released that repairs tissue. Norepinephrine slows the flow of blood to various parts of the body that aren't necessary for fighting or running away, like the digestive system or urinary tract. The adrenaline released increases blood pressure and pulse rate, while inducing rapid shallow breathing. Everyone has heard stories of people in terrifying situations that are able to commit feats they normally couldn't do because of adrenaline.

These stress hormones, if not burnt off with running or fighting, cause health issues.

You may develop chronic high blood pressure or emotional issues like anxiety and depression. High levels of chronic stress can also cause digestive issues, since the blood flow is reduced. It can cause headaches, stroke, heart attack, heart disease, muscle tension, pain, insomnia, weight gain and problems with focus, concentration and memory. Your body remains in a constant readiness state that can keep your heart beating faster, blood pressure higher, and blood glucose levels higher.

• It's impossible to control outside factors that may cause stress, but very possible to learn how to control your response to those factors. Exercising, meditation, deep breathing techniques and learning how to look at situations differently can help.
• Stress can cause weight gain, DNA damage which causes premature aging and even lead to tumor growth. Stress shortens the cell's telomeres that protect the cell's DNA and allows replication. Exercise lengthens them.
• Stress can cause tooth damage from chronic grinding and clenching of the teeth. It can cause sleep interruption, which is a time the body and brain repair. It leaves you exhausted and unable to deal with the stressors the following day.
• One hypothesis on why cortisol, the stress hormone, may cause weight around the midsection comes from the fact that early man may have required the storage of fat during harsh, stressful times. It also may be due to diverted blood flow.

For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health and Fitness

When the weather is hot, like it is in the summer if Florida, it's easy to take the car for short trips and even may be wiser if you have health issues. However, on those wonderfully cooler days, taking a walk can be a huge boost to your overall health. There are health benefits of walking that you may be missing, even if you workout regularly at the gym. You'll be more in touch with nature when you walk, especially if you go to the many parks, lakes and gardens in the area, like Hollis Garden.

You aren't in shape and afraid to walk very far, not a problem.

Walking can help you get started on a program of fitness. Even people who are completely out of shape can walk. It doesn't mean they should start by walking a mile. Start by walking a block or less. Remember, you have to walk back to your starting point, so don't push it. As soon as you start to feel tired, turn around and head for home. If it's too hot to walk outside, go to an air-conditioned mall to walk. You can use walking as just the first step to getting back into shape, although, it's not a complete program of exercise. We feel that a guided program of traditional exercise can help you reach your goal faster.

Walking is heart healthy.

Walking is good for your heart and entire circulatory system. If you want an even faster way to boost health, turn your walk into an HIIT---high intensity interval training---walk. You do that by modifying your walk, walking at top speed and intensity for a few minutes, then slowing it down to a recovery pace. After that, switch it back up to high gear. If you don't have a full half hour to walk, do three ten minute walks throughout the day. It does just as much good.

Walking is good for weight loss.

You'll burn extra calories when you walk and that can help you lose more weight, while improving your stamina. Walking also helps boost your brain power. Since walking increases circulation, which sends oxygen and nutrient laden blood to all parts of the body, that includes the brain. Studies show that it not only increases brain nutrients and oxygen, it reduces the LDL cholesterol, the bad artery clogging type. Studies on Alzheimer's and dementia show walking reduces the effects of the disease. It also can reduce anxiety and depression.

• Walking is a weight bearing exercise. Doing weight bearing exercises like walking or weightlifting, can help reduce the potential for osteoporosis and can even reverse some of the damage. Studies show it's as good or better than some medications.
• If you're overweight or have problems with your joints, walking is far better than running. It is a lower impact exercise, so you don't have the pounding motion on the joints as you would with other exercises.
• Walking can improve your immune system. It also aids in digestion, while helping to regulate blood glucose levels. Walking can also help reduce the potential for some types of cancer.
• Walking is simple and available to everyone. You don't need special gear or clothing, except good shoes. Always make sure you have correct posture when you walk, keeping your head high, while freely swinging your arms as you walk.

For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health and Fitness

Habitat Health and Fitness in Lakeland, FL provides the opportunity to get fit, but we hope you use that opportunity and engage in active pastimes and hobbies to improve and use your newly gained fitness. People normally nod and agree when I mention hiking, basketball or bike riding, but look a little puzzled or shake their head when I mention yoga. There are

Yoga is not a religion and there's no religious services.

Most of the classes in yoga taught today focus on form and movement, not on the philosophies of the early forms of yoga. It is linked to Hinduism, but not part of the religion. It does emphasize quieting the mind and self-realization, and discovering the quiet within you and self-awareness. It is designed to help unite body, mind and spirit. In fact, there's a form of yoga, called Christian yoga, that started in the 1940s. Most yoga classes focus only on form. However, if you're in a class where you feel it goes against your principles or still believe yoga itself is, don't do it. No matter how good something is for your body, if it doesn't resonate well with your spiritual side, it's not a good outlet for you.

Yoga is too simple and only good for flexibility is another misconception.

Modern yoga is quite difficult or can be easy enough to do for an out of shape senior or person who never worked out previously. There are all levels of fitness and types of yoga. The key is to find one type that's right for you. Some of the more difficult poses build strength and provide a great core workout. It is a challenge to flexibility, but also provides cardio and builds balance and strength. In many cases, you're using muscles that normally sit idle or using muscles in new ways on a different plane. It can be extremely tough.

Some people think all yoga is the same.

As noted before, there are all levels and types of yoga. There's Bikram yoga, Hatha yoga, hot yoga and Kundalini yoga. There are more than thirteen types of yoga and different subsets in each group, with hot yoga often being Vinyasa or Bikram yoga that focuses more on the conditions of the room----hot and humid. Ashtanga yoga, also known as military of yoga," is considered one of the more difficult types and Hatha yoga, Iyengar Yoga or a hybrid form being more popular for beginners.

• You don't have to be flexible to take yoga classes. Many people feel yoga is just for the very flexible, but that's like saying weightlifting is for the very strong. It helps you become more flexible, but you don't have to start out that way.
• Another misconception is that yoga is just for women. It's like saying ballet is just for women, yet many football teams use ballet to train their players. You'd be surprised how strong you have to be to take some types of yoga classes.
• Some people think yoga is all about meditation and not a real workout. It all depends on the type of yoga you're doing. You'll often be using muscles you haven't used for a while in ways you don't normally use them, even if the class is considered simple.
• Just like all forms of exercise, yoga provides health benefits. It can be a good supplement to our program of fitness. We provide a complete program but staying active when you're not here is always a plus.

For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health and Fitness