Hi! Matthew Lawrence here! A 26-year-old architect and gamer by heart. I hope you like this new website. I'll be writing mostly about exercising, fitness, and of course, games. I usually update every 2 days during the weekdays so stay tuned!
Okay, okay. If you’ve been reading this blog for quite some time, you’ll know that I’m sort of a fitness buff (aside from my being a gamer). I always encourage my friends to workout and take out that excess weight. More often than not, they’ll ask “why?”. Even though I mention a lot of health risks for not staying slim and fit, they usually just say “OK” then the topic gets changed to something else. I tried mentioning the advantages of being slim and fit as well and I also get the same response. Now here’s something I just thought about that probably worked a few times. Don’t take these seriously, by the way.
You won’t be scared of someone telling you you’re fat - This one’s obvious. Of course by staying slim, nobody would call you “fatty” or something related to that. Not only would it avoid embarrassing stuff during conversations, you also won’t get picked on during your class reunion or any other social gathering. That, and they won’t mind you if you’ve been eating a lot. And by that we come to…
You’ll be the most dangerous person in a buffet - Why? Simple. They would easily think your eating habits would be like that of a model - you eat less than the average person. And because of that, they wouldn’t notice you’ve been going back and forth to the table and eating your heart out. Sneaky.
People would rarely ask you to donate blood - What kind of person would ask someone who’s borderline thin to donate blood in a blood bank? They’ll be thinking, “Oh God, if this person collapses, I’ll be the one at fault”. So yes, this is one advantage you’d likely consider when you’ve had experience of being cornered into donating blood.
You won’t be hated in a public utility vehicle - Or a car pool. Since you are slim, you’ll be taking up less space than the fat guy beside you. So instead of being the one who’s glared upon, you’ll be doing the staring. I’ve had a lot of experiences with this during my stay in the Philippines. There’s something they call a jeepney that’s for public use. Usually, those vehicles will be in line and waiting to get filled before moving out. So imagine if the vehicle is for 10 people per row and two fat guys occupy one row. People get seriously pissed from those (they still count the big ones as one person).
Your luggage would be easier to carry - Your clothes would have less weight than if you were, say, a hundred pounds more. That, or you’ll be able to fit more clothes into one bag than if you weighed more. Thinking of being a stowaway? You’ll fit into a compartment more easily if you’re thin, obviously. Just kidding.
So what other crazy advantages can you think of? Who knows? It might convince your friends to shed those extra pounds.
Losing weight can be an obsession. I’ve never been in the situation before but when I aimed for that perfect beach body, I guess the feeling can be quite similar. Although like in body building, people can become quite desperate to see results - going as far as taking extra sets and repetitions in exercise that are too much for the body to handle (causing exhaustion or injury), or worse, taking drugs like steroids. Similarly, when losing weight, a lot of people can get pretty desperate and try some things that are unheard of or going to the extremes (like not eating - which is bad, really). Anyway, here some of the weird ways people have tried just to lose those few extra pounds.
Not eating…at all - Okay, I’ve known somebody who did this before. My buddies and I tried to get her to listen but she kept insisting that she needs to lose weight. I don’t think she had anorexia nervosa, though, since she really wants to eat but her outstanding willpower (I wish she used it in a different way) allowed her to go by with only a salad, a slice of bread, or a bowl of soup. That’s all. For the whole day! Alright, technically she did eat, but I still wouldn’t consider that as “eating anything”. What happened? Well she must have woken up one day, looked at herself and found out how not eating means not getting any nutrition that allows our body to function properly. She must have seen how hideous she was and went back to her routine of eating a lot. She gained a lot of weight afterwards but it eventually settled to her form back when she started.
Using gadgets or garments that wraps tightly around the body - Yeah, corsets were worn before to show off an “hourglass”shaped body (or Coca Cola bottle-shaped body if you prefer that). Similarly, the modern ones these days would be those slimming bands which people usewhen exercising. I haven’t tried those or know someone who does, though. So do they work?
Sweating a lot - There’s this product called the Vinyl Sauna Suit that retained body heat, thus making the person wearing it sweat a lot more when doing physical activities. I don’t really agree with the concept since it will bring an even greater problem - dehydration. Even if you do manage to avoid getting dehydrated (by drinking lots and lots of water?), imagine how you’d smell after wearing that thing. No, I don’t want to think about it…seriously.
Getting one of those weight loss gadgets advertised on TV - These include those crazy stuff like the hula chair or that vibrating power plate. Come on, seriously? Do you think that the models who were promoting those products use those same products to get that kind of body? I don’t think so. Neither should you. The only concept I liked was the Entertrainer simply because I found it humorous. You’re basically forced to workout if you want to get a decent viewing experience. Take that couch-potatos!
Using your mind - The wackiest I found was from this blog post. Basically, it was some form of mental conditioning to make you think you want to eat less. Surely, not everybody can do this. And I’m not sure whether the people who have managed to accomplish the task would suddenly turn anorexic. Hopefully not.
In a previous post, I mentioned how gym accidents happen from improper use of gym equipment. Aside from performing precautionary steps to avoid them, proper know-how in their purpose and usage is also important. There are different types of exercise equipment. Some are used to train specific parts of the body while some are used to enhance either strength or endurance. Here are the five types of exercise equipment and their purpose.
Cardiovascular Exercise Equipment - This type of equipment focuses on improving your heart and to burn fat. Most modern cardiovascular exercise equipment have a display that would show you important details such as amount of calories burned, how far you have travelled, and walking or running speed. You can customize your workout using the menus on the displays as well. Equipment of this type include Treadmills, Stationary Bikes, and Stair Climbers. It’s a good idea to swap equipments from time to time so you don’t get used to a particular equipment and produce less results.
Free Weights - This type of equipment focuses on how to increase strength. Like the name suggests the weights are free to handle and are not tied to any other equipment (but can be used to augment them). These includes weights for dumbbells, barbells, and other weights training equipment. Of course, dumbbells, barbells, and medicine balls are also included in this category. Free weights are used for lifting and training the muscles on specific areas of the body like biceps, triceps, calves, etc…
Weight Machines - Another strength enhancing equipment but is more user friendly than free weights. Weight machines have a stack of incremental weights attached to a pulley which you can lift by pulling or pushing a certain part of the equipment. You can adjust the weight by either using a pin to set the amount of weights you would use or in some older equipments, put a specific amount of free weights on the machine.
Balance Equipment - This type of equipment is used for enhancing both strength and endurance. Inflatable exercise balls and pads are included in this category. Basically, exercises using this type of equipment involve keeping your balance - like its name suggests - while performing strength-enhancing exercises.
Resistance Equipment - Resistance equipment use elastic bands instead of weights for strength training. A lot of exercises have been devised for training specific parts of the body or muscle groups. The best thing about this type of equipment is that they can easily be carried unlike weights which take up a lot of space and are particularly heavy in comparison.
So which exercise equipment should you use? Choosing the proper equipment is crucial if you want to get results from your training. Including cardiovascular equipment is a good choice since pure strength training without improving endurance and stamina is dangerous. Continuously adding weights to your workout without improving stamina could lead to injury. It is also a good idea to mix strength training equipment to include strengthening of the whole body like the arms, torso, and lower body parts.
I actually had doubts in posting this article as it may be scary and turn off people from going to the gym. However, just so those who will read this (that’s you) will be aware that things like accidents happen even at the gym and even with a lot of precautions.
Gym accidents happen almost every day. From simple cramps to fingers actually being taken off. Although things like that could happen at any time, there are ways on how to lessen the chances of them happening. Here are five of them.
Do not play around - Especially when using gym equipment. A lot of accidents stem from people not being serious inside the gym. The gym is for working out and training. Sure you can have fun, but at least be aware of your surroundings. You might potentially harm other people from your antics, if not yourself.
Don’t hurry - Everything should be taken at it’s own pace. If you’re going to hurry because of an appointment or something, I suggest avoid going to the gym in the first place, or at least cut down on the number of repetitions and sets. Haste makes waste. Not only that, it could cause you harm. You use a lot more energy when you hurry and that could translate into your performance. Imagine your legs giving up on you just because you got so exhausted.
Know how to properly use the gym equipment - Not only because you might break it (which should cost a bit), but also because you might harm yourself and others from doing so. I remember a guy who didn’t know how to use a treadmill so he simply put it on start, did a few jogs, then grew tired of it. Bad thing was, he didn’t know how to stop it so he stopped jogging and prepared to jump off. Bad move, he promptly fell face first as soon as he did it.
Know your limits - This is very important. Also, make sure to have a spotter with you at all times. A lot of accidents happen during benchpresses and because they tried to push theirselves too hard that their arms give up. I’ve heard stories of muscles getting detached or ribs getting broken because of the weights falling on or somewhere near their chest. Do your best but if you’re going to try and push yourself to your limit, make sure to tell your spotter so he’s ready.
Focus - Yeah, so you’re doing some leg curls when someone hot just passed by you. You didn’t notice you lifted your legs too high and the weight from the equipment suddenly fell on your back. Ouch. That could also happen when your phone suddenly rings and you try to answer it without stopping from what you are doing. Avoid bringing stuff that could distract you while performing your exercises. Those things could cause gym accidents, more than you think it will.
I wrote about reflexes a while back but what is it really? Basically, reflexes are movements that the body make automatically based on a certain cue. They are mostly involuntary so you’ll be surprised you suddenly moved before you even thought of what you were doing. Here are 5 facts about our reflexes.
- When reacting to pain, the part of our body that’s directly affected would send a signal immediately to the body part that would safely move it out of harm’s way, bypassing the brain. This reaction makes it quick, almost in an instant.
- Coughing when we feel something weird in our throats is considered a reflex action.
- The pupils in our eyes widen and close just allowing enough light into our eyes to see clearly. The darker the environment, the wider the pupils would grow. It is also considered a reflex action.
- The popular reflex test which includes hitting just above the knee caps resulting with the legs suddenly kicking up (like in cartoons) is actually done medicine. And it works, seriously.
- We can train our reflexes to react to particular situations. This can be seen especially when playing games where you quickly react to particular situations. So yeah, constant practice makes us better at it.
When someone mentions yoga, an image of the character Dhalsim from Street Fighter almost always comes to mind. The character was also the reason why I became interested in the Indian practice. Anyway, Yoga is a spiritual practice that has been in existence for more than 3000 years in India. The word comes from the Sanskrit word yuj which means “to control” or “to yoke”. A common definition today would be “to bring together in mind and spirit”. Although yoga includes exercise as a part of the practice, it is just a part of it. The main goal of yoga is the discipline of the mind and body, enhancing strength and endurance, and connecting it with the spirit.
When one mentions yoga, they are most probably referring to “Hatha Yoga”, which is the physical part of Yoga. It was introduced by a 15th century sage, Yogi Swatmarama, who says that hatha yoga “is the stairway to the heights of raja yoga”, which is the mind component of yoga. Here are six of the many styles of hatha yoga:
Ashtanga Yoga - Ashtanga yoga helps build flexibility, muscular strength and endurance, as well as concentration. It is fast-paced and the practitioner moves between sets of predetermined poses without staying in a particular pose for more than five breaths. The steps were designed with young, flexible bodies in mind as some include jumps and push-ups.
Power Yoga - I’m still having doubts whether this particular type is really ashtanga yoga itself or just similar. Anyway, this type of yoga is the one that is most popular in the United States. Similar to asthanga yoga, power yoga involves moving through a set of poses thus improving strength, endurance, and flexibility.
Gentle Yoga - Unlike the previous two types, gentle yoga focuses more on flexibility and breathing and less on strength and endurance. This type is meant to attract people of all ages (not just the younger ones) so the steps involve a lot of stretching and poses. Gentle yoga helps in reducing stress and a bit of weight reduction.
Kundalini Yoga - Kundalini means “spiritual power” so by that word, you have guessed that this type would involve meditation. Kundalini yoga like the other types involve body postures and deep breathing, then throws chanting and meditation in the mix. The practice focuses on “chakras” (”wheels” or “circles” in Sanskrit, could be referring to the centers of energy in the body) to generate spiritual power.
Bikram Yoga - Also called Hot Yoga is a style developed by Bikram Choudhury. The practice involves being in a room heated to around 40.5 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit) and lasts for around 90 minutes. It involves 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises.
As you may have noticed, yoga involves a lot of postures and doesn’t involve weights training for strength and endurance. In case you are thinking of training both (strength, endurance) you might want to check yoga out. Though honestly, I don’t think it would develop your muscles as well as weights training (if you’re thinking of bodybuilding).
So yeah, our heart is one of the most important parts of our body. If that stops beating, you know what happens next. Well, as much as exercise can help prevent heart diseases from occurring, a healthy diet is equally important. Here are 3 tips that could help you plan your diet accordingly.
Less Fat - Fat is just one of those things that contribute to increasing the risk of heart diseases. They can be found mostly in cheese, meat, milk, butter, and coconut oil. It’s a good idea to lessen the amount of foods you eat that has those. So if you’re going to drink milk, choose those with less than 1% fat. When cooking with oil, check the label and compare which has low fat. Stuff like that.
Less Sodium - Sodium is one of those necessary nutrients in our diet. Although sometimes we tend to get a lot of it, especially in salt. Less sodium intake help in lowering some people’s blood pressure so it’s a good idea to not always put salt on the table.
More Fiber - More fiber lowers the risk of heart diseases from occurring. Fiber can usually be found in fruits and vegetables so eat a lot more of those. Also when choosing bread, go for whole-wheat bread and for cereal, whole-grain cereal.
Alright, looking back, I seem to give the impression that I give a lot more focus on anaerobic exercises (read: bodybuilding) than aerobic exercises. Well, I believe I mentioned the reason in this post. Simply put, I’m a bit obsessed with having that perfect beach body. Anyway, aerobic exercise is advantageous as well since it develops cardiovascular strength and reduces the chances of heart related illnesses appearing.
Before we begin, let’s define both types of exercises first. Aerobic exercise refers to exercise that improves oxygen consumption in the body by the body. The word aerobic means “in the presence of oxygen”. The exercises of this type secures your heartbeat to around 60 to 65% of its maximum rate. The exercises are also done in an extended period of time which, as a result, would improve your endurance. On the other hand, anaerobic exercises are designed for training the strength of your muscle and joints. The exercises are performed with high intensity (70% and above heartbeat rate) but for only a short duration. This type of exercise usually have a reference like number of sets and repetitions (like the dumbbell exercises earlier).
Now on to the advantages. Let’s start with Aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercises are known to strengthen the muscles, particularly those involved in respiration and the also the heart. It reduces blood pressure and improves blood circulation. It also increases the number of red blood cells in the body which helps in the transport of oxygen in the blood. It improves mental health and helps treat depression by lowering your stress level. Lastly, it improves the speed of recovery (muscles) from high-intensity exercises. Examples of this type are jogging, long distance running (not sprinting), and singles tennis.
Anaerobic exercises build muscle mass and increases physical strength. It also improves endurance but not as much as aerobic exercises do and also reduces blood pressure. Anaerobic exercises are also known to strengthen the bones. Some sources state that it could help people sleep better. Exercise of this type include weights training and sprinting.
So which one should you pick? Well, aerobic exercises are good for beginners. They would improve your overall fitness and improve your endurance. Afterwards, it would be better to do some intense workout to build your strength and muscles. As someone who used to practice Tae Kwon Do, it was important to perform both types of exercises. Warm ups actually include both sprinting and long distance running. The two minutes of sparring actually feels like forever when you are doing the actual combat (compared to say, just watching). And if your endurance is poor, you’ll find yourself panting and unable to kick. So in conclusion, I’d say a mix of both types is better than only picking one.
Finally, here’s the last part of the dumbbell exercises. For reference, here are the first two parts (Part 1, Part2).
CALF
Single Leg Raise
- Position yourself near a wall and lean against it with one hand for balance. Hold the dumbbell with the other hand which is far from the wall. Raise the foot near the wall.
- Raise the heel of the other foot (the one you’re standing with) by using your toes (tiptoe).
- Lower yourself slowly.
- Repeat 15 times and another 15 for the next set.
Seated Calf Raise.
- Sit on the bench with your feet apart.Rest the dumbbells on your thighs but keep a hold of them.
- Raise the heels by using your toes (tiptoe) while remaining seated.
- Lower your heels to the floor.
- Repeat 15 times and another 15 for the next set.
LEGS
Dumbbell Squats
- Stand with feet apart.and hold dumbbells to the side.
- Bend your knees until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor. Make sure to keep your head up and your back straight.
- Slowly return to original position.
- Repeat 15 times and another 15 for the next set.
Well, that’s everything. You can do other additional exercises for other body parts like sit-ups for the abdomen. Good luck on your training!
In line with my previous post, here are some more exercises you can perform with dumbbells at home.
BACK
Dumbbell Dead Lifts:
- Bend forward with your arms straight towards the ground; hands and dumbbells positioned as if you were carrying a barbell. Bend your knees slightly, and make sure your back is flat with the lower back at a natural arch.
- Extend upwards while maintaining a flat back and slightly bent knees.
- Repeat steps 15 times then another 15 for the next set (or 10 with slightly heavier weights)
One Arm Row:
- Position yourself on the bench so that one arm is on the bench to maintain balance, your upper body is parallel to the floor and your arms extended towards the floor.
- While maintaining the position of the back, raise the dumbbell to your midsection using the strength of your back, not the biceps.
- Slowly lower the dumbbell to its original position.
- Same number repetitions as previous exercise(s). Do the same for the other arm.
BICEPS
Alternate Hammer Curls:
- Stand upright while holding the dumbbells at your sides, palms facing each other. Elbows should be as close to the body as possible.
- Curl dumbbell slowly for one arm then move it back to its original position. Continue with the other arm then repeat.
- Same number of repetitions as previous exercise.
Concentration Curls:
- Sit on the bench.
- While holding the dumbbell, position your elbow beside the inner thigh.
- Curl dumbbell towards your face then slowly return to its original position.
- Same number of repetitions as previous exercise.
TRICEPS
Overhead Triceps Extensions:
- Stand upright with your feet apart (as wide as your shoulders).
- Hold the dumbbell above your head with your arm fully extended and your free hand holding the elbow for support.
- Slowly fold your elbows to move the dumbbells behind your head then return to the original position.
- Same number repetitions as previous exercise(s). Do the same for the other arm.
Triceps Kickbacks
- Position yourself on the bench so that one arm is on the
bench to maintain balance, your upper body is parallel to the floor and hold the dumbbells near your midsection.
- Extend your elbow until your arm is parallel to the ground.
- Slowly lower the dumbbell to its original position.
- Same number repetitions as previous exercise(s). Do the same for the other arm.
I’ll give some more exercises on my next post (Lower Body).
Hi! Matthew Lawrence here! A 26-year-old architect and gamer by heart. I hope you like this new website. I'll be writing mostly about exercising, fitness, and of course, games. I usually update every 2 days during the weekdays so stay tuned!
