Month: July 2014

Some peoples’ bodies play a percussive symphony of cracking and creaking, thanks to the large orchestra of noise-making  human joints. But what’s behind it all? The concerto comes from the pop of gas bubbles escaping the joints, snapping tendons and ligaments, and rickety arthritic joints.
Joints come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The pivot joint lets us say “No” with our heads, while the hinge joint lets us swing our elbows and knees like a door. A baseball pitcher uses the tremendous range of motion of the ball-and-socket joint in his shoulder to throw fastballs. And sliding joints in the backbone make gymnasts’ backs so flexible.
Releasing gas
A protective fluid cushions most of the joints in our bodies.
Inside a capsule that safeguards bones connected at a joint, synovial fluid keeps the cartilage, tissues, and muscles lubricated and well nourished. Nutrients float inside the fluid, along with gases, such as oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide.
As you bend your fingers, the joint capsule stretches. To make more room for the stretch, gases release out of the fluid. The pop of your knuckles is the sound of gas as it bubbles out of the fluid, scientists say. Before your knuckle can crack again, the fluid must reabsorb the gas.
More to it
Tendons and ligaments make a loud racket too.
Tendons are like rubber bands stretched over joints that keep muscles attached to bones. Similarly, ligaments extend to connect bones to other bones. Sometimes, tendons and ligaments slide out of their spot at the joint and then quickly snap back into place.
If your knee cracks when you stand up from sitting on the couch, you’re likely hearing your tendons and ligaments popping into proper position around your knee’s joints.
Arthritic joints not only cause pain, they can creak as well.
Connecting bones loose their smooth cartilage and grow spurs on their edges. The amount of synovial fluid also increases, making the joint feel stiff and sore.
Okay to crack ’em?
Scientists have conducted few studies on whether cracking your knuckles can cause arthritis or otherwise harm your hands.
Some studies suggest that you can snap your knuckles all you wish, and it won’t cause osteoarthritis.
However, other studies indicate that around-the-clock cracking may damage the soft tissue around the joints, make your hand swell, and weaken your grip.
Researched by KATIA C. ROWLANDS – STOTT PILATES INSTRUCTOR & PERSONAL TRAINER – 0825134256

Trying to lose weight? Just riding isn’t enough. Follow this 60-minute workout for fast results.

Of course, if you want complete transformation you’ll need to make big changes in every part of your lifestyle, but one of the biggest has to be exercise. If you are just starting out you goal should simply be to complete short rides. Before long you can start incorporating intervals into your training. Don’t be concerned with maximum power output. Rather, by alternating intervals with recovery periods, increase the amount of work accomplished per session, thereby increasing the impact each workout has on fitness and weight loss. Even if you have just 2kgs to lose, intervals are the key to your success. Years of carrying around a big body can work to your advantage. You have a lot of dormant muscles lying under the fat. That muscle represents a lot of potential power that 60kg pip-squeaks can’t come close to. Slim down and nurture that muscle, and you’ll be a force to be reckoned with. Recovery Is Key Some people think it’s counter-intuitive that you can maximise calorie burn by inserting recovery periods into your rides. What makes intervals so effective is that the recovery periods allow you to maintain higher power outputs during hard efforts, and accumulate more time at those higher outputs. Intensity Burns More Calories Whether you’re talking about weight loss or enhanced performance, time at intensity is the factor that matters most. Riding at a tough-but-sustainable pace is a good way to burn about 12 calories per minute. Intervals like the ones included here can push your burn rate to about 16 calories per minute. But because you can’t sustain 16 calories per minute for very long, time spent at this intensity has to be spread over several intervals separated by recovery, during which you’re burning eight to 10 calories per minute. In total, the interval session lasts 42 minutes, but even with the recovery periods, the calories burned are almost identical to the calories burned during 42 minutes at a steady pace. Why put yourself through intervals if they don’t burn a ton more calories? Because time-at-intensity not only burns calories but also stimulates change. That steady pace for 42 minutes isn’t enough stress to make you faster or pack your muscles with more fat-burning mitochondria. But those 20 minutes at maximum intensity are. Riding a steady pace burns calories today; intervals burn calories today and enable you to burn more later. Chris Carmichael’s Weight-Loss Workout This one-hour workout delivers the double whammy of torching calories and building high-end aerobic power you can put to good use the rest of the season. It’s strenuous, so do it a maximum of three times a week to allow for adequate recovery and best results.

Chris Carmichael’s Weight-Loss Workout

6 minute Warm up 1 min fast pedal, spinning a light gear as fast as you can

1 min recovery spinning

1 min fast pedal

1 min recovery spinning

5×2 min at maximum intensity, with

2 min. recovery spinning between each

6 min recovery spinning

5×2 min at maximum intensity, with

2 min recovery spinning between each

8 min cooldown

Total time: 60 min.

Chris Carmichael is founder and CEO of Carmichael Training Systems, the premier coaching, camps, and testing resource trusted by thousands of athletes since 2000. Visit www.trainright.com for info.

Researched by KATIA C. ROWLANDS – STOTT PILATES INSTRUCTOR & PERSONAL TRAINER – 0825134256

1. When you’re ill

Don’t exercise when you’re unwell, even if it is just a cold.Exercise will put more strain on your immune system and prolong illness. This will result in you spending more time away from your fitness programme.It’s also a prime cause of other injuries because it is more difficult to concentrate on what you’re doing if you’re feeling ill.I’ve seen someone faint while doing a step class with a high temperature, and get a black eye from hitting her neighbour’s step.

2. When you haven’t had enough recuperation time

Don’t rush back to your normal exercise routine after you have been ill.Starting to exercise too early is likely to lead to a re-emergence of your symptoms.When you do decide to return to the gym, make sure you start your workout slowly and with care. Even a week or so off your usual routine can make a difference. Ease yourself back into your programme by doing just 50 per cent of your normal workload and gradually building up.

3. When you’re feeling wiped out and stressed

There will be days when you don’t feel like going to the gym, but sometimes your body can be telling you to take a break.It can do you a power of good to have a day off from your fitness programme.Go home, have a healthy meal: don’t mentally punish yourself for not going to the gym.Remember: all-round fitness incorporates spiritual wellbeing. Even though exercise can give us that stress-lifting endorphin high, sometimes we just need to relax.

4. When you have an injury

Whatever your injury, make sure that it is thoroughly healed before you go back to training. A simple injury can be made much worse by your well-meaning attempt to ‘loosen it up’. You could injure yourself again, but worse. Seek professional advice from a physiotherapist or osteopath for any strain or sports injury that is still painful after 24 hours.

5. When you haven’t got the correct equipment

Whatever your sport is, make sure you buy the best equipment you can afford. Don’t just follow the fad for the latest trendy trainers or gear. Not having the right equipment can result in injury. Take footwear seriously. A good sports shop will have well-trained staff who can properly assist you in choosing the correct shoes for your needs. For example, there are different types of trainers for running, depending on your natural step.

Normal foot: will leave a wet footprint that has a curve on one side, but shows the top part of the foot and heel connected by a broad band. A normal foot lands on the outside of the heel and rolls inwards slightly to absorb shock. This means you are running efficiently and don’t need a motion control shoe.

Flat foot: has a low arch and leaves a footprint that looks like the whole sole of the foot. When running, the foot strikes the outside of the heel and rolls inwards (pronates) too much, which can cause injury. Motion control or stability shoes can help. High-arched foot: will leave a footprint that has a highly curved band between the top part of the foot and heel. In some cases there is no band at all. When running, the heel doesn’t roll inwards enough to absorb shock. Cushioned shoes with lots of flexibility can help. Other forms of exercise equipment such as horse-riding gear should be bought from a professional supplier.

6. When you’ve got a hangover

If you’ve got a hangover from the night before, think twice before going to your morning aerobics class. Alcohol dehydrates you, so make sure you have drunk enough water to balance out its effects. Ask yourself if you are still under the influence: it takes the body about an hour to process one unit of alcohol.

If you have had four pints of beer, it won’t be out of your system for eleven hours. Don’t exercise if there is any chance that you are still drunk. Think about when you last ate. Sometimes eating breakfast with a hangover is the last thing you want to do, but if you haven’t taken in enough fuel to train, don’t do it.

7. When you’re pregnant

The rules about exercising in pregnancy form a whole book in themselves, so we’re just going to touch on the subject. The main points are that you can exercise throughout your pregnancy as long as a) you feel like it and b) your GP and midwife have said you can. While the advice is to keep fit throughout your pregnancy, the emphasis is on maintaining fitness, not improving. Pregnancy is a nine-month workout in itself. If you decide to exercise when pregnant, get professional advice after your third month on what you should and should not do.

8. After your baby is born

How many celebrities do we hear boasting that they went straight back to 300 sit-ups per day within 24 hours of childbirth? Firstly, I wouldn’t believe a word of it, and secondly they would be going against all health guidelines if they did. However desperate you are to retrieve your figure, you have to wait six weeks before you can start gently exercising, or 12 weeks if you’ve had a C-section. After this time, start slowly, gradually building up to your pre-pregnancy exercise routine.

And get professional advice about which sort of abdominal exercises you should be doing post-baby. An area that causes a lot of silent embarrassment is the pelvic floor muscle. If you have done work on it during pregnancy you shouldn’t have too much trouble, but get some specific exercises set down for you to help prevent leakage.

Researched by KATIA C. ROWLANDS – PILATES INSTRUCTOR & PERSONAL TRAINER – 0825134256•