Important Facts about Strength Training

Important Facts about Strength Training

According to Healthmeup.com, strength or resistance training is essential for healthy bones, supple ligaments and strong muscles. But did you also know that resistance training also helps develop balance and core strength? Additionally, it also helps you avoid easy injuries - a direct benefit of healthy bones and joints. To list them together, some of the strength training benefits are - reduced risk of injury, improved joint function, increased metabolism and cardiac function. However, for an exercise form that is deeply connected with our overall well-being, resistance training is riddled with myths and lesser known facts. Today, we bring you some of these important facts about strength training.

• Strength Training for beginners: Starting Strength as the name suggests is ideal for newcomers who are looking at improving their strength and making significant muscular gains. This is why the program concentrates on compound lifts rather than isolated ones. In case you’re new to the terminology, compound exercises are those that target multiple body parts at one shot like the bench press, the deadlift or the squat.
•  Strength Training for All Ages: It does not matter if it is your 15th birthday or 50th, believe us when we say, strength training is meant for all ages. Though the intensity may vary, strength training does not mean restricting yourself to gym-bound or age-bound exercises. In fact, strength training becomes even more important as we grow older, because it helps us maintain healthy and strong bones, muscles, joints and ligaments; not to mention the quicker metabolism that helps us fight age related weight gain.
• Myth: Strength training tends to make women appear manly. If this were true, the whole bandwagon of femal actors (Hollywood or Bollywood) wouldn’t have managed to look feminine and attractive. What makes your body appear bulky is testosterone- a male hormone, which is only present in men in abundance. As a matter of fact, strength training adds to the bone density and muscle mass, which is good for women’s fitness level.
• Cardio Strength Training: If you are bored of your daily workouts and want to try something new, then mixing strength and cardio training is an interesting choice. Often structured as two separate workouts, strength training and cardio workouts are both equally important for your overall fitness. An ideal workout routine should have an intense, yet simple strength training program packed with oodles of cardio benefits.  
• Are there any limitations to this style of training? While most trainees out there can certainly do this form of training, it might not be ideal for beginners and those who are extremely deconditioned. For eg, if someone struggles to climb two storeys of stairs, then this form of training might too intense for them. In this case traditional cardio maybe better to begin with. As their fitness improves, such individuals can later on attempt the intense cardio version.
• No equipments at all: Strength training exercises, even if performed twice a week (on alternate days) can maximize your overall fitness, says the American Council on Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association. One can perform strength training exercises with the help of free weights, machines and other kinds of special equipment. But there are also several exercises in strength training that you can do with no equipment at all. Bodyweight exercises like push ups, squats, lunges and sit ups, are just as effective and, in fact, more beneficial to your overall physical health.
  
  An important consideration with bodyweight exercises is how to increase intensity as you progress. The simple solution to this situation is to study or ask a trainer what the progressions should be.

source: healthmeup.com
image credit: strongshape.com

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MESOTHELIOMA SPECIALIST CALLS FOR LESS INVASIVE TREATMENT FOR ASBESTOS CANCER

MESOTHELIOMA SPECIALIST CALLS FOR LESS INVASIVE TREATMENT FOR ASBESTOS CANCER

In addition to site-specific cyto-reductive surgery, doctors have for years performed radical and extremely dangerous extrapleural pneumonectomies as a first line oftreatment for mesothelioma.  The procedure, which includes the removal of the entire lung, the diaphragm, and the membrane surrounding the heart, has been controversial—to say the least—and several studies have pointed out the high mortality rate and the lowered quality of life in patients who undergo this last-ditch surgery as reasons to discontinue its use.

However, a similar but less invasive surgery is growing in popularity amongmesothelioma doctors who advocate surgery for their patients. Pleurectomy/decortication is a procedure which includes the removal of the pleura—the soft tissue membrane that surrounds the lungs.  The procedure leaves the lungs and diaphragm intact and has displayed some promising results.

Pleurectomy Decortification Surgery on a Mesothelioma Patient

In fact, in an editorial published in the April 2012 edition of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, Dr. Michael Weyant wrote and impassioned piece advocating this surgery as an alternative to the more dangerous procedure.

Weyant wrote that mesothelioma patients who do choose to undergo this procedure tend to live longer and have a much higher quality of life than their counterparts.  Weyant drew on a study which examined two groups of several mesothelioma patients who underwent either procedure in addition to chemotherapy between January 2008 and June 2011.  The data showed that those who underwent the less invasive procedure of pleurectomy/decortication outlived the others and were healthier overall.

In fact, two years after their surgery, a full half of the P/D patients were still alive compared to only 18% of those who underwent the full extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP).  That survival ratio was carried over to the 5-year benchmark as well:  30% of the P/D patients were still alive when compared to just 9% of the EPP patients.

However, Weyant recognized that some mesothelioma patients could be better treated through EPP.  The decision, he argued, should ultimately be made on a case by case basis where both the mesothelioma surgeon and the patients weigh the risks, the rewards, and their expectations for the remainder of their lifespan prior to determining which option would best suit them.

As is the case so often with cancer, mesothelioma affects everyone differently and a number of factors including prior medical history, current health statistics, and future expectations come into play when deciding on the proper course of treatment.

However, the case for P/D is growing as EPP becomes less and less popular overtime.  A Recent MARS study concluded that often the risks associated with EPP, including the greatly increased death rate up to six months after the surgery,  outweigh the benefits.  Many doctors have begun to see extrapleural pneumonectomies as a last-ditch effort to prolong life no matter the risk.

Regardless of the type of surgery(if surgery is an option at all,) many mesothelioma patients still must undergo multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatments to combat asbestos cancer.  Currently, there are roughly 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma diagnosed every year in the United States.

source & image credit:http://blog.mesothelioma-usa.com

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Exercises for Sore Muscles

Exercises for Sore Muscles

What's the first thing you cancel out of your day if you wake up with a stiff neck or body ache? You got it right - your daily workout. But do you know that if you're in pain, exercising actually helps you deal with the ailment and recover a lot sooner than you would otherwise? We're not saying go run a marathon, but if constant aches and pains (read: Sore muscles) are your downfall, then here are some great workouts and exercises that will help you get going again.

• Yoga. Yoga is an effective way to fight chronic pain in the body. Deep breathing when combined with asana specific movements help in dealing with sore muscles. However, doctors advise against certain kinds of yoga asanas which involve powerful physical movement as they may aggravate the pain. Active and passive yoga exercises can be combined in your daily routine focusing on different body parts.

• Walking. Not only is walking a low impact activity but its positive benefits cannot be denied. It is one of the simplest forms of exercises which you can do anywhere anytime - in a park, shopping place or simply around your office. Walking can be done in all seasons and there are very few physical conditions in which walking is not feasible.

•  Pilates. Pilates is an excellent form of exercise for somebody who suffers from lower back pain as it helps in core strength building. Fitness experts also recommend Pilates to people who suffer from fibromyalgia. According to the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Pilates is one of the best forms of relaxation/stretching regimes when performed under a trained eye.

• Swimming. Swimming is a recommended form of exercise for people who suffer from osteoarthritis, who have musculoskeletal issues or any type of joint disease. Swimming or any other forms of water activity are gravity resistant activities and help in treating your joints in a much better way.

•  Simple stretching. Simple stretching exercises can be performed anywhere- at home and even when waiting in a queue. Stretching exercises help in getting your body parts moving and will also help in fighting pain in the body. Treat sore muscles by performing a simple 15 minute workout.

•  Tai chi. Tai chai is a well accepted form of exercise for both young and adult folks. Originated in China, Tai Chi is something similar to yoga as it encourages integration of mind, body and soul. According to a New England Journal of Medicine Study, tai chi must be performed twice in a week in order to do away with body pain, fatigue and stiffness of the body.

•  Light-weight training. While weight training in general, helps prevent easy injuries like sprains and strains, light-weight training helps the healing process by strengthening joint muscles around the injury area. This helps in taking the stress off the injured joint. Just by performing simple push ups or sit-ups at home one can bid pain goodbye.

source & image credit: healthmeup.com

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