Intuitive Fitness E-Newsletter October 2009

INTUITIVE FITNESS NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2009

Welcome to the October 2009 edition of Intuitive Fitness’s monthly newsletter. We will be providing a new edition every month discussing all issues related to your health, fitness and general wellbeing…

FITNESS NEWS IN OCTOBER

Can you beleive that we are already into the second month of Spring? The warmer weather is here and the end of year is just around the corner! As the holiday season approaches our schedules tend to get busier and we have less time to spend on our exercise regime.This month we take a look at how to get the most our of your workouts with compound exercises. Compound exercises are a great way to maximise the benefits of your workout if you have minimal time. We also discuss caffeine and it's affect on the body. We take a closer look at what causes a stitch and how to prevent them. Our exercise of the month is the bridge. If you want to promote core stability and tone you bottom and legs you may wish to include this great exercise in your fitness program. We hope you enjoy this edition!

GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR WORKOUT

Use Compound Exercises

What are compound exercises?
Compound exercises are multi joint exercises, where movement occurs across more than one joint and activates several muscle groups at once. For example the basic squat requires movement across the ankle, knee, waist and hip joints and recruits a multitude of muscle groups including the core, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and back muscles.
In contrast to compound exercises, isolation exercises target a specific muscle group and move across only one joint. Isolation exercises are often used to build strength in specific muscles that may be weaker than others. The bicep curl for example, is an isolation exercise that moves across the elbow and targets only the biceps brachii muscle.

What are the benefits of compound exercises?

Greater Calorie Expenditure: More muscles are recruited, meaning the body has a bigger workload and will burn more calories.
Time : More muscles are worked at the same time, minimizing your time spent training.
Minimizes Fatigue: Reduces muscle fatigue as several muscles will tire less easily than an individual muscle.
Functionality: Simulates real world activities and exercises.
Maximizes Strength: You can lift a much heavier weight if you are lifting with more than one muscle group.

Common Compound Exercises

Body Part	Compound Exercise
Chest	Bench Press Push Ups Chest Flys
Back	Lat Pulldown Seated Row Chin Ups
Arms	Tricep Dips
Legs	Squats Lunges

EXERCISE OF THE MONTH
The Bridge

The bridge is a great beginner’s exercise that will not only tone and shape your glutes, hamstrings and the lower back muscles but will also promote core stability and strength.

How to perform the bridge

Lie flat on your back, feet shoulder width apart, legs bent at 90 degrees and your knees pointing towards the ceiling.
Contract your stomach muscles (but don’t forget to breathe!)
Push your pelvis towards the ceiling, squeezing your buttom and leg muscles.
Slowly lower and repeat.

Tips and Techniques

Exhale as you push your pelvis to the ceiling and inhale as you lower.
Ensure your knees are separated throughout this exercise.
Keep your back flat and stomach muscles contracted, arching or overextending your back may cause pain or injury.
If you have lower back or shoulder problems seek professional advice before attempting this exercise.

Advancing the exercise

As you progress and become stronger & more stable you may wish to the complete the exercise with one leg raised off the ground or with your shoulders and upper back supported on an exercise ball.

MONTHLY FIT FACT: STITCHES

What is a Stitch?
Scientists and medical professionals are still unsure as to what causes a stitch. However the most recent theory suggests that stitches may occur when tension is placed on the ligaments connecting the internal organs to the diaphragm. As you exercise gravity forces the liver, stomach and intestines downwards. As you exhale the diaphragm is pushed upwards. The combination of these movements places a strain on the connecting ligaments.

How can I prevent a stitch?

Ensure you take full breaths. If you take shallow breathes the diaphragm is constantly forced upwards, never allowing the ligaments to fully relax.
Avoid eating food just before a workout. The digestive process can place added strain on the ligaments.
Stay adequately hydrated to relieve any possible muscle cramps.

MONTHLY FIT FACT: CAFFEINE

Caffeine is one of the mostly widely consumed stimulants in society today. It can be found in numerous beverages including coffee, tea, hot chocolate, cola and energy drinks. Other sources of caffeine include chocolate, products containing cocoa, some prescription and non prescription drugs, as well as, some weight loss tablets and formulas.

The effects of caffeine on the body
Everyone has an individual sensitivity and tolerance level to caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant that affects the central nervous system as well as the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. It is readily absorbed into the blood stream where its levels peak approximately one hour after consumption. It targets the brain stem and cerebral cortex and causes increased alertness, increased focus and faster and clearer thought. It also stimulates the heart, dilates blood vessels (causing an increase in blood pressure), causes bronchial relaxation (increasing the ability to breathe), increases gastric acid production and increases metabolic rate.

Whilst caffeine can be a great pick-me-up for some, it can cause unpleasant side effects in others. Caffeine is also known to lower the body’s calcium absorption by increasing the amount of calcium lost in urine. It has also been associated with the formation of stomach ulcers due to its ability to increase stomach acid production. The most well known side affect of caffeine is its ability to interfere with the body’s sleep patterns and consumption before bedtime is often linked with insomnia.

EVENT OF THE MONTH

Ride To Work Day

Pedal power is here once again. Get out your bike and ride to work on Wednesday the 14th of October and support green, healthy travel!

For further information or to register visit www.registerridetowork.com.au

All material contained in this document is provided for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for the advice and treatment of your own physician or other qualified medical professional. Intuitive Fitness disclaims all and any liability and responsibility for any direct or indirect loss or damage suffered by any person as a consequence of using the information within this document.