Trainer Tuesdays
Welcome back to the weekly edition on Trainer Tuesdays. Make sure to check in at our blog every Tuesday evening to learn the expertise of our great staff. Aside from being fantastic exercise coaches, they are also extremely knowledgeable in many aspects of health and fitness; so, it's time that you get to know them a little better! Each week, we will post a frequently asked, or sometimes just a fun fitness related question followed by the answers of each of the trainers at Fitness Together Brecksville.
Besides Exercise and Diet,
What Else Impacts My Fitness?
Kelly Bailey: While diet and exercise are the two
things that probably impact your fitness the most, there are other important
factors to consider. The two that most readily come to my mind are sleep and
stress.
Recovery, both mental and physical, happens primarily during sleep. Lack of sleep can cause myriad symptoms from mental fog and depression, to decreased physical performance when you are training or playing sports. Try to get into a routine of going to bed at the same time every night, and be sure to turn off all electronics at least 30 minutes before lights out. The light from computer and TV screens can cause sleep problems.
Recovery, both mental and physical, happens primarily during sleep. Lack of sleep can cause myriad symptoms from mental fog and depression, to decreased physical performance when you are training or playing sports. Try to get into a routine of going to bed at the same time every night, and be sure to turn off all electronics at least 30 minutes before lights out. The light from computer and TV screens can cause sleep problems.
We've all heard a million times over that stress can
negatively impact health. In our fast-paced society, we all encounter stress
from the pressures of work, family, and maintaining our health. It's how each
of us deals with stress on an individual basis that matters. It's important to
find (and make time for) your own stress-relieving activity. Exercise,
meditation, or a favorite hobby are all ways to relieve the stress that we
encounter every day.
Steven Madden: While mood and environment are other factors
of fitness, the one that I cannot stress enough is sleep. Sleep is often
viewed with distain, this arduous task that prevents us from doing everything
in the day we need/want to accomplish. Most of us know better, but we
still treat it like breakfast, I know it's good for me, but I don't have the
time to do it right.
Before
someone says, "But I only need 5 hours of sleep", let me say that I
don't believe you, but I do agree that not everyone needs 8 hours of sleep.
6-8 is the healthy range, and it depends largely on body chemistry.
Sleep is so important, not just because your body and brain relax and
recharge, but because this is when your body works to repair or improve itself.
When
you sleep, your body produces growth hormone and starts protein synthesis in
muscles, provided you are eating the appropriate diet. This leads to
muscle cell repair and growth. So, if you spent your time and the gym
yesterday and only slept for 4.5 hours because you just had to watch all of
Orange is the New Black season 2 on Netflix, you have actually just undermined
some of the work you did at the gym. Why would you do that?
In
addition, lack of sleep can raise hormone stress levels. Missing one
night of good sleep will not cause too much of a problem, however several days
or weeks of bad sleep will elevate your stress level to the point that you will
start to experience symptoms of overtraining syndrome. The basic reason
is that you told you body not to sleep, and since your body doesn't know any
better, it assumes you cannot sleep because you are in danger, and so it puts
its self on heightened alert. It's that whole fight or flight response.
Even when not running for your life, prolonged time in fight or flight
mode takes a physical tole.
Getting
too much sleep won't help either. You cannot catch up on lost sleep.
Sleeping all day, one day a week can change the body's patterns making it
harder to fall asleep at other times. If you are having a hard time
sleeping, try having quieter evenings, where you don't do anything too physical
2-3 hours before you go to bed. Make sure you are getting a strong
workout to help make it easier to sleep and try to avoid caffeine at night.
Wait a minute, aren't those two other aspects of fitness-- diet and
exercise? Why didn't anyone tell me they were related?
Jenn Noggle: While diet and exercise are a huge part of
overall fitness, there are some other factors too. I think mental health is a
big part of overall wellness and health. Additionally, the way you live your
daily life outside of exercise. Are you sedentary all day except for when at
the gym? If so try to fit in some extra physical activity whenever you can (Ex:
parking farther away or taking the stairs) Stretch periodically throughout the
day to keep your muscles and joints flexible for the rest of your active lifestyle.
Taynee Pearson: Besides dieting and exercise, mental health
is also an important aspect in living a healthy lifestyle. Determination, and
persistence are keys to help you lead a healthy lifestyle and reach your
fitness goals. It's important to set goals and stick with them even though the
results may not show right away. Happiness is another aspect that
improves your overall wellness.
© 2014 Fitness Together, Inc. All
Rights Reserved. Powered by Fusionbox.
About | Contact | Franchise | Suppliers | History | Leadership | NutritionTogether |Sitemap | PrivacyPolicy | TermsofUse | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Linkedin
No comments:
Post a Comment