How Does a Swimmer Build Endurance?


Building endurance requires repetition.

Building endurance for swimming cannot be rushed. It takes dedication and perseverance for a swimmer to develop proper breath support and muscle memory to draw upon when swimming for long periods. By swimming different drills that focus on speed, form and endurance, your swimming style will improve and you will be able to swim longer distances more efficiently. For a beginner, swimming three or four times per week for shorter durations will build your endurance faster than swimming for longer, less frequent sessions. Once you are a seasoned swimmer, training two or three times per week is sufficient.


Breath Support and Rhythm
Exhale under water when swimming. Often times, people will try to inhale and exhale when they lift their head. By exhaling under water, you allow yourself a full inhale breath when you lift your head out of the water. Count your strokes. This will help you maintain a regular rhythm and keep your stroke length consistent. Keep your head aligned with your spine and look down to make your body aerodynamic.

Arms and Legs
Keep your legs together as much as possible. When you lift your head to inhale, touch your big toes together. Keep your elbow high as you pull through a stroke. Be sure to push through the entire stroke as much as you can. Begin by pushing firmly through five strokes, then pushing less for the next five strokes while maintaining your rhythm. Gradually increase the number of strong strokes with each endurance training session.

Form Training

Warm up by swimming one 25-meter lap, then one 50-meter lap. Swim three 25-meter laps focusing on the pull of your right arm through a stroke, using a pull buoy if desired. Swim three 25-meter laps focusing on the pull of your left arm through a stroke. Then swim three 25-meter laps, focusing on your kick and its effectiveness. While working on your kick laps, lessen the pull of your stroke but keep the integrity of the stroke. Cool down by swimming the warm-up pattern at a slow but steady pace. After three to four weeks, you will be able to swim this pattern easily. At that point increase the laps in 25 meter increments, up to 150 meters.

Endurance Training

Swim one 25-meter lap, then one 50-meter lap to warm up. Swim two laps, focusing on your pull and stroke. Swim two more laps, focusing on your kick. Swim a ladder exercise, beginning with 25 meters, then increase to 50, 75, then 100 meters. Decrease your swimming to 75, then 50 and lastly 25 meters, with brief rest periods in between. Cool down by swimming the warm up pattern at a slow but steady pace. Once you can swim this ladder exercise easily, increase the laps in 25 meter increments over time while decreasing your rest period.

How Does an Olympic Swimmer Train?

Nutrition
Nutrition is an important part of training for any Olympic athlete but even more so for swimmers. Swimming burns a lot of calories. A 150-pound body doing vigorous freestyle laps can burn nearly 700 calories in an hour. Many Olympic swimmers will swim more than six or seven miles a week. Nutrition should be targeted to build a balance between endurance and muscle strength because of the stringent training requirements. Protein, protein supplements and carbohydrates should be a major part of the diet. Michael Phelps consumed 12,000 calories a day, six times the amount of an average man's intake.

Weight Training
Weight training for Olympic swimmers should be focused on building long and strong muscles. A swimmer's body should have enough strength to cut through water resistance while providing enough flexibility to perform repetitive motions like the various swimming strokes. The legs should be strong enough to get a good push off of the walls for turns, yet able to maintain the propelling kicks. Some lifting techniques for Olympic swimmers focus on range of motion, especially with the arms. All repetitions should be performed at their maximum length with medium to heavy resistance. One exercise involves strengthening the shoulders through standing raises. Swimmers stand with their feet one foot apart while holding dumbbells at thigh level in each hand. They raise their arms slowly to shoulder level with palms facing each other. Then they turn their palms to face the floor and slowly lower the weights. Weight training should be at least 30 minutes a day (not including warm-ups), two times a week.

Recovery
Forty-one-year-old Dana Torres emphasized recovery as part of her Olympic training. She became the oldest person to win a swimming medal in the 2008 Olympics. Torres included massages as part of her regular workout, aiding the muscles in recovering faster from strenuous workouts. Her massages were not the spa-type of relaxing rub downs. They often included two people standing on and kneading her muscles, applying great pressure. Ice baths are also a good way to recover. Since swimming requires use of almost all the major muscle groups, it isn't uncommon for there to be great soreness after training. Ice baths help reduce swelling and soreness faster, allowing Olympic swimmers to train more often throughout the week.

Mental Training
Swimming in a crowded gym with thousands of onlookers may seem like a lot of pressure for an athlete. With the entire world watching, the pressure can multiply a hundred fold. That's why mental toughness is also a part of Olympic training. From sun up to sun down, the focus on swimming could easily be taken away by a multitude of distractions. Interviews, autographs, tours, crowds and competing against the best in the world can't come easy. Olympic swimmers must strengthen their minds to focus on the event at hand. Some swimmers develop routines like listening to certain songs or self-talk before hitting the water.

Swimming
Olympic swimmers don't just hit the pool and do laps all day; they practice all the techniques needed to shave off those precious seconds from their times. Almost every aspect of swimming is studied, from the mechanics of the stroke to the push-off at the end of each lap. For example, olympic coaches may focus on sculling, the action of moving your hands near your head to complete a stroke. The amount of time an Olympic swimmer spends in a pool training depends on the events they swim. Dana Torres, a sprint swimmer, trained at least two hours a day swimming 5,000 meters worth of specialized laps and drills. Famed Olympian Janet Evans, who set world records in middle and long-distance events, swam up to 12 miles a day when she trained. Rebecca Adlington, another competitive swimmer, reported she swam at least one two-hour session per day in the pool, with a few days of two two-hour sessions. Each session involved 3,000 to 8,000 meters of swimming and water aerobics.

You've Bean Framed - Humble Bean My Not Be To Blame For Flatulence

There’s nothing quite as unpleasant as excessive flatulence - both for the sufferer and the person, well, downwind of them.
But it seems that the food most commonly associated with this unfortunate disorder may have been treated unfairly. In fact, it could be a case of 'you've bean framed' when it comes to intestinal wind.

The findings are likely to bring a smile to manufacturers of beans  everywhere and especially the mighty Heinz corporation.
In a study published in the Nutrition Journal Donna Winham of Arizona State University and Andrea Hutchins of the University of Colorado, say that “People's concerns about excessive flatulence from eating beans may be exaggerated."
The authors added:"Many consumers avoid eating beans because they believe legume consumption will cause excessive intestinal gas or flatulence."
The university academics asked volunteers eat half a cup of beans daily and to fill in a weekly questionnaire. At the end of the first seven days less than 50 per cent of the bean eaters reported increases in gas production.
But as the study progressed so the researchers started getting responses they had not been expecting. "Seventy per cent or more of the participants who experienced flatulence felt that it dissipated by the second or third week of bean consumption."
Donna Winham and Andrea Hutchins have come up with a theory to explain this phenomena and say that it boils down to beans garnering an undeserved reputation so that people really belive that they will give them wind, or as the academics put it “beans owe their unhappy reputation to psychological anticipation of flatulence problems".
But being academia it may well be that their findings could spark an ongoing debate in the world of university studies. For instance, their study is almost precisely opposite to the findings of a study by Geoffrey Wynne-Jones of Waikato Hospital in Hamilton, New Zealand, in 1975.
Dr Wynn-Jones published a treatise in highly respected medical journal The Lancet, under the heading Flatus Retention is the Major Factor in Diverticular Disease.  As he went on to explain: "Diverticular disease is confined to modern urban communities: flatus retention in a rural, primitive society would be pointless. It afflicts the cultured, the refined, the considerate. It should be recognised as originating in suppression of a normal bodily function."
Or to put it in other words, you need to avoid “windy foods” and the doctor said beans were a prime culprit.

Rising US Obesity Rates Hits Organ Donation

The growing crisis of obesity in America is causing a new and unforeseen problem - a massive shortage of organ donors who are slim and fit enough to undergo the necessary operation.

A major study has discovered that obesity has been a strong reason for potential donors to be turned away from donating organs such as their kidneys.
Researchers at the North Shore-LIJ Health System Transplant Center in New York and Feinstein Institute for Medical Research found that almost a quarter of willing donors in a test group were initially excluded because they were obese. And only a small percentage of those rejected were then able to lose sufficient weight to donate.
There are no set limits, but broadly speaking, people who have a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or more are excluded. But with America’s average waistline expanding at a terrifying rate, this is preventing more and more people from taking part in organ donation programs.
This is a big problem which is costing people their lives. Around 7,000 patients waiting for a kidney transplant die each year because they can’t get a replacement organ in time.

Dr Mala Sachdeva, who led the research at the North Shore-LIJ Health System Transplant Center believes that to get more donors transplant facilities have to encourage more aggressive weight loss programs and join social support groups to encourage people more to lose pounds.
Something needs to be done to increase the number of live donors but also to make it as safe as possible for them to donate,' Sachdeva said.
National Kidney Foundation President Dr Lynda Szczech backed him in his claims about ‘the impact of obesity as a barrier to donation.’ ‘As the kidney transplant waiting list grows, there is a great need for living donors,’ Szczech said.
America’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that US obesity rates will rise to 42 per cent by the year 2030. At the moment obesity already affects an estimated 78 million adults and 12.5million children in the US - a frightening statistic.

Burma's AIDS crisis at breaking point

Burma's AIDS crisis at breaking point
Only 1 in 8 people in Burma are receiving treatment for HIV and Aids, according to shocking new figures.

It’s estimated that there are 240,000 people with HIV in Burma, half of whom urgently need antiretroviral treatment (ART) drug treatment if they are to survive according to doctors. In 2010, it is reckoned that less than 30,000 of these people were receiving the drugs.
Burma is poorest country in southeast Asia, with one third of people below the poverty line and the Government only able to pay for around 30 per cent of all healthcare. The reality is that few of the Aids and HIV sufferers will ever be able to afford the treatment, which the charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), says costs just $30 a month.
"We see patients crawling in, some lethargic and near death, some trying to drag themselves in," said Dr Maria Guevara, medical co-ordinator at MSF, who are the largest provider of ART in Burma. "As doctors, to be faced with that and have to say we can't give them treatment because they don't meet our criteria; it's tragic. We are having to say no to people we know will just get sicker and die."
As if this isn’t bad enough, Burma’s tuberculosis in Burma is nearly three times the global average, partly because it attacks HIV patients in particular.
MSF had been hoping that the  Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria would give them the funds to treat an extra 46,500 people - but those hopes were dashed last year when the fund announced it was short of cash.
"The fact they have withdrawn the round is a true failure," said Guevara. "Understandably, there are issues economically and internationally, but the commitment is still there. The pledges were made. By doing this they didn't just fail themselves, they failed everyone they made commitments to. And that means lives."
As a result, the ART drugs are being rationed by doctors. Already death rates are up by 25 per cent on last year.

Polio Vaccination Program At 'Make Or Break' Poing

Polio Vaccination Program At 'Make Or Break' Poing
Hopes of eradicating polio are on a knife-edge with authorities turning to some unlikely sources for help, the World Health Organisation, or WHO, has admitted.
Polio has been 99 per cent eliminated in most of the world since the development of vaccines in the 1950s. Today, oral medicines mean it is almost non existent in the developing world.
But there are three remaining polio problem nations - Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. And the WHO is warning that if it is not tackled in these countries now there is a real danger that the illness will make a comeback - and blight the lives hundreds of thousands of children.
According to Sona Bari, spokeswoman for the polio eradication programme at the World Health Organisation, the world faced a “now or never” moment.
“We are really on a tipping point between success and failure,” she said.
As a result, the WHO is poised to declare a health emergency to attract funding and prevent the spread of the illness by allowing poorer nations to vaccinate visitors from affected countries when they arrive at their airports.

Each of the three countries affected have different problems. In Afghanistan the ongoing conflict with the Taliban makes it difficult for drugs to get to children while in Nigeria, the health system is fragmented and inefficient.
In Pakistan, there is also a problem with Muslim preachers, who preach that the polio programme is an American plot to make Muslims infertile. This has been fuelled by the fact that the CIA used a fake hepatitis vaccination campaign last year to detect the presence of Osama Bin Laden.
Now, however, clerics are joining the WHO in arguing in favour of vaccination. Sami ul-Haq, known as the father of the Taliban, recently launched an immunisation drive at his madrassah, near the north-western city of Peshawar, giving oral drops to his own grandson.
“Giving polio drops to children is very much Islamic,” he reassured people.

Health Dangers of Cannabis Underestimated by Young

Doctors are warning that young people are unaware of the potential health risks of cannabis.
According to the British Lung Foundation (BLF), smoking the drug poses a 20-times greater risk of lung cancer per cigarette than tobacco smoking.
The findings say the drug is used by more than a third of people under 24, but the vast majority, more than 80 per cent, think it is less of a cancer risk than tobacco.
A further one in three were unaware that research has linked smoking cannabis to a range of other problems including complications with respiratory and circulatory systems and even  psychiatric problems.
The BLF  said the findings were "alarming". "New research continues to reveal the multiple health consequences of smoking cannabis. There is still a dangerous lack of public awareness of quite how harmful this drug can be," said Dame Helena Shovelton, BLF chief executive.
"Young people in particular are smoking cannabis unaware that each cannabis cigarette they smoke increases their chances of developing lung cancer by as much as an entire packet of 20 tobacco cigarettes."
She called for a public health campaign to "dispel the myth that smoking cannabis is somehow a safe pastime".
It is believed that cannabis smoking is more harmful because drug smokers inhale more deeply and hold it longer than tobacco smokers. Some research has found that the average puff on a cannabis joint is two-thirds larger and is held four times longer than the average puff of a tobacco cigarette.

This means cannabis users inhales four times as much tar and five times as much carbon monoxide. The smoke particles become more concentrated and more harmful.
According to police officials the modern day drug is more powerful than ever before. The concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been linked to an increased heart disease and suppression of the immune system.
Concern has also focused on the drug's impact on mental health, particularly on a small group of vulnerable users with an inherited predisposition to schizophrenia.
An important mitigating factor is that most cannabis users give up in their 30s which has a big role factor in cigarette-induced lung cancer. Studies in Sweden and the US found no increase in deaths.

Choc-Full Of Goodness - Chocolate Really Is Healthy

Here's some great news for chocoholics everywhere - scientists have found even more evidence that consuming chocolate is good for our health.
The health benefits of chocolate have been known for some time with studies indicating it can help protect against high blood pressure and cut the risk of diabetes. But now research scientists have unearthed evidence that it also helps protect people with high risk of heart attacks and strokes.
The research was conducted by a  team from universities in Melbourne, Australia. They used a mathematical model to predict the effects and cost effectiveness of eating a small amount of dark chocolate every day.
The team tested a sample of 2,013 individuals at high risk of heart disease because of a mix of problems  including raised blood pressure, obesity, high fat levels in the blood and an inability to control blood sugar levels. However, none of the sample, who were monitored over a decade, had a history of heart disease or diabetes and they were not on blood pressure drugs.
The results were spectacular and showed that daily consumption of 100g of dark chocolate could potentially avert 70 non-fatal and 15 fatal cardiovascular events per 10,000 people treated over ten years. The results were published on the British Medical Journal's site bmj.com
It could be an effective cost-effective treatment, costing $37 a year per head of population.
The study found that milk or white chocolate does have not provide the same benefits. Dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids which are known to have heart protecting effects.
Of course there are sceptics who argue that chocolate can't be a long term health treatment because its high calorie content will offset the benefits. But it adds strength to previous research that shows eating chocolate reduces blood pressure and improves insulin sensitivity, reducing the risk of diabetes.

How to Become an Olympic Swimmer

If swimming is your passion and it is something at which you excel, you may wish to become an Olympic swimmer. This dream is possible, though it does require a lot of work and dedication, and you have to start young. Read on to learn how to be an Olympic swimmer.
Instructions
1
Choose the event in which you excel. The Olympic events are freestyle (50, 100, 200, 400 and 800 meters for women and men and up to 1500 meters for men), backstroke (100 and 200 meters), breast stroke (100 and 200 meters), butterfly (100 and 200 meters) and 200 and 400 meter individual medleys.

2
Join your school swimming team if your school offers one. If not, join the one at the local YMCA or Boys and Girls Club.


3
Practice all the time. Practice while the team practices, but also practice on your own. Even when you're on vacation or when the swimming season's passed, find a pool, stay in shape and work on improving your times.

4
Advance from competitive level to competitive level. As you grow older and your fitness level increases, you can compete in more advanced competitions.

5
Find the Local Swimming Committee in your area. That information is available at the USA Swimming website. As the site states, "Each LSC is responsible for administering USA Swimming activities in a defined geographical area and has its own set of bylaws under which it operates." Through the LSC, you can find swim clubs in the area that offer you an opportunity to advance in USA Swimming recognized events. You need to become a member before doing so.

6
Meet the Olympic Trails qualifying times for your event. Once you succeed in doing this, you are eligible to compete in the U.S. Olympic trials. The team will consist of 26 men and 260 women.

New High-Tech T-Shirt Is Future Of Health Monitoring

New High-Tech T-Shirt Is Future Of Health Monitoring
Going to the doctor for a check up could soon be a thing of the past.
Scientists in Spain believe they have developed ‘intelligent T-shirts’ that are capable of monitoring vital signs such as heart rate and temperature.
The T-shirts, which are expected to go on sale to the general public this year,are made of conductive 'e-textiles' which have electrodes integrated into the fabric. These are used to measure a person's heart rate and can even take an ECG.
The raw data is collected by what is technically known as an 'acquisition device' which is worn around the neck under the T-shirt. From there the data is sent wirelessly to a computerised management system, which interprets the results.
And that’s not all the T-shirt does. The ‘acquisition device’ element also includes a thermometer that presses against the skin and another specialist instrument, an accelerometer, which indicates how active the patient is, whether they are lying down or sitting up and so forth.
If a key indicator reaches a dangerous level, an alarm is triggered so that doctors can intervene either by contacting the patient or - in extreme cases - sending an ambulance.
The T-shirt is an important breakthrough that will particularly help keep patients from having to spend time in over-crowded surgeries and hospital wards.
'The idea of it is to be non-intrusive,' said developer Jose Ignacio Moreno, from Carlos III  University in Madrid.

'The patient can be monitored in real-time without any cables due to the wireless platform, so they can stay in bed or walk around as they wish.'
The advantages of the T-shirts are numerous, from freeing up patient and doctors to get on with their lives to combating the threat of picking up hospital bugs such as MRSA by staying at home. The shirts can even be washed in standard washing machines, allowing patients to keep them clean of infections and bugs.
The first pilot scheme and special management centre was set up 18 months ago by four Spanish companies in partnership with Jose Moreno, Gregorio Lopez, and Victor Custodio at Carlos III University in Madrid and was tested by five patients at the Cardiology Unit of La Paz Hospital in Madrid. Results were so encouraging that the shirts are now being offered to a much wider audience.
Soon millions of people could be getting on with their day-to-day lives while at the same time wearing discreetly concealed heart monitors and thermometers.

How to Increase Stamina Fast

How to Increase Stamina FastAccording to the book "Fit To Be Well," exercise can cause fatigue immediately after the activity, whether it is running, jogging or walking. Over a long enough term, stamina will increase and fatigue will be reduced. Increasing stamina does take a bit of time, so the fastest way to increase stamina is work out every day and more each day than the last. However, give your body at least one day of rest a week to recover.

Instructions
1
Turn on the treadmill at its lowest setting or at a speed that is a normal walking or running pace for you. Use the treadmill for no less than 20 minutes. According to the book "Lifetime Physical Fitness & Wellness," the treadmill is the best machine to use to increase stamina.

2
Increase the speed of the treadmill and distance you walk or run the second day. You can determine how much faster you want to go. On the second day, walk or run for 10 minutes longer than you did the previous day.

3
Increase again, each day, both time and speed. For a walker, this increase will stop when you reach your fastest walking speed. For joggers or runners, this increase will stop when at the fastest speed at which you can maintain for the desired amount of time you want to jog or run.

Treadmill for Beginners

Treadmill for Beginners
With all the different styles of treadmills, it may daunting for a beginner to know which treadmill to use for his routine. Basic treadmills provide a few different speeds, while more advanced ones will have more functions, including inclines to simulate walking uphill. Take time to examine the treadmills before choosing one.

Buying
Buy your treadmill from a trusted dealer, retail store or manufacturer. Make sure that if you need help with your treadmill, you will be able to call and have your questions answered. Even though a treadmill seems simple enough to use, you may have questions about some of the advanced functions or you may need to get a part replaced.

Features
As a beginner, you will not use many of the more advanced features that the more expensive treadmills offer. However, there will come a time that you will advance to these levels and if you do not have a treadmill with features, such as inclines for climbing, you may have to purchase another treadmill to advance in your workout, and this would be additional money spent. It's often better to buy the treadmill with more advanced features in the beginning. However, if you purchase a more advanced treadmill and then abandon your workout, you spent more than you needed to. Weigh these factors to help decide what is best for you.

Workout
When you first use a treadmill, start slowly. Make sure you know how your treadmill operates and the safe way to get on and off the treadmill. Start with the treadmill in the slowest position and walk for a while to get the feel of the treadmill. It may surprise you, since it is not quite the same as natural walking, so spend some time getting to know this feel.

When you are ready, slowly increase the speed of the treadmill until you are walking comfortably. Walk for about 10 to 15 minutes and then take a break so you do not overdo it at first. Each day, or every couple of days, add five more minutes to your workout. Pay attention to how your body feels when adding more time to your workout.

As you get used to the workout, try some of the other features of the treadmill. Incline it slightly so you are simulating walking uphill. At first only walk uphill for five minutes and then gradually bring the treadmill back down to level. Increase the time and the steepness of the incline gradually each day or every other day.

Before beginning your new treadmill routine, do not forget to tell your health care provider about your new regimen. Most of the time, your health care provider will applaud your efforts.

Treadmill Routines for Beginners

Treadmill Routines for Beginners
Some runners find treadmills boring because of the lack of scenery, but you can mix things up with a structured routine. If you're a beginner, don't try to run too fast; instead, try a walking routine with different incline settings or a short, light-jogging-and-walking workout. Treadmills can help you get fit without having to run aimlessly for hours.

Walking Routines
If you want to begin using your treadmill with a walking routine, try walking as fast as you can for 30 seconds, then slow the pace down for two minutes. Repeat this cycle about eight times for a 20-minute workout.

If you're trying to lose weight, do a steady mid-pace walk for 45 minutes to an hour. This aerobic workout will help keep your heart rate up and burn fat.

If you're trying to build your endurance, power walk (walk with your back straight, chest out, arms swinging) for about five miles, or up to 10 miles.

Alternating Routines
Alternate jogging or running with walking as a good way to begin a running routine without tiring yourself out too much. Try this: Begin by walking to warm up, and then take five minutes to slowly increase your pace until you're jogging. Back off the pace slightly for five minutes, and then slow to a walk for three minutes. Run or jog for four to five minutes, then decrease your pace to a walk for five minutes. This routine should take you 20 to 30 minutes.

For a quick 20-minute routine with incline, warm up by walking for five minutes with no incline, and then increase your pace until you're at a moderate speed with a 1 percent incline. Hold this pace for three minutes, and then increase your incline 1 to 3 percent for one minute. Decrease your speed and your incline for three minutes, then increase your speed three to five increments on the treadmill and increase your incline 1 to 2 percent for one minute. Decrease your speed and incline to a very slight incline for three minutes, then cool down for five minutes.

How to Get an Anaerobic Workout

How to Get an Anaerobic Workout
Anaerobic workouts can burn just as many calories as aerobic workouts in a fraction of the time. While aerobic workouts involve a steady increase in heart rate over a long period of time, anaerobic workouts require short bursts of intense activity. In combination with aerobic exercise, anaerobic workouts can contribute to an overall fitness program.

Instructions
1
Make sure that you are rested and motivated. An anaerobic work out requires intense bursts of energy. You can't do this if you are feeling tired or lazy. Eat a good meal so you are energized. The goal of anaerobic exercise is to spike your metabolism. You body will continue to burn calories long after your workout is over. Anaerobic exercise also builds muscle, which burns more calories.

2
Start with wind sprints. This is the fastest and easiest way to exhaust yourself in a very short period of time. Find a small hill and sprint as fast as you can to the top. Really pump your arms and legs hard to accelerate all the way up. Jog back down and sprint up again. Do not lose intensity. Go "all out" every time. They are called wind sprints because you should be winded after a few of them. Try to do 10.



3
Hit the bag. If you are a boxer or martial artist then put on some gloves and find a punching bag. Do flurry drills. Get a timer and set it for 30-second intervals. Punch and kick the bag without stopping for 30 seconds then rest for 30 seconds. Try to do 10 of these intervals.

4
Do intense calisthenics. You can try pushups, situps, jumping jacks or a combination. For pushups, do 20 hard and fast then rest for 30 seconds then do another set. Don't cheat. Go all the way down and push all the way up. For situps and jumping jacks go "all out" for 30 seconds then rest for 30 seconds. Don't cheat. Do them as fast and as hard as you can.

5
Pump yourself up with weight circuits. Lifting weights may be the ultimate anaerobic exercise since it requires intense bursts of energy. However, to take advantage of this you must ratchet up the intensity. It is not an anaerobic workout if you spend all afternoon in the gym and rest for minutes between sets. Plan your weight circuit before you begin. Go from one weight lifting exercise to another with no more than a few seconds rest. You can work on opposing muscle groups so your muscles won't all give out at once. For example, do bench presses followed by pullups then squats. Keep going for at least 15 minutes.

Aerobic & Anaerobic Training Benefits

Aerobic & Anaerobic Training Benefits
In the dictionary, aerobic means "with oxygen" and anaerobic means "without oxygen." In the fitness world, these terms describe two distinct styles of exercise that offer very different training results. Fortunately, there's no need to choose. Combine them both into an integrated fitness plan and gain the benefits of each.

History
Dr. Kenneth Cooper popularized the term "aerobics" in 1968 when he published his best-selling book of the same name. "Aerobics" became synonymous with sustained, repetitive exercise at a moderate rate of exertion. The movement really took off in the 1980s with Covert Bailey's "Fit or Fat" books and television appearances. Cooper and Bailey believed that aerobic exercise alone was the key to good health and longevity. Millions took up jogging and flocked up to aerobic dance studios. The aerobics culture even entered pop culture with the movie "Perfect," starring John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis, and Olivia Newton-John's video for the song "Physical."

Now we know that both aerobic and anaerobic exercises are part of a well-rounded fitness plan. These days, even Covert Bailey advocates anaerobic speed intervals and resistance exercises along with moderate aerobics.

Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise relies on oxygen for fuel. Any activity that consistently elevates your heart rate to 50 percent to 80 percent of maximum for 20 minutes or more can be aerobic. Jogging, dancing, power walking and swimming are just a few examples. To determine your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. For example, if you are 35 years old, your maximum heart rate is 185. Any activity that keeps your heart rate between 93 and 148 beats per minute is aerobic. Regular aerobic exercise conditions your whole cardiovascular system for a healthier heart and lungs.



Anaerobic Exercise
Anaerobic exercises are brief bursts of maximal effort. Feel the burn? Lactic acid builds up in your muscles during all-out effort, resulting in the burning sensation that's the hallmark of anaerobic training. Weightlifting, running sprints, and sports such as soccer and tennis that intersperse periods of rest with intense activity are all anaerobic. Aerobic activities become anaerobic when performed at a pace that raises your heart rate past 80 percent of maximum. These exercises place heavy demands on the muscles being trained, including your heart. Endurance, strength and muscle mass increase as your body adapts to the load.

Benefits
Regular aerobic exercise can prevent the so-called "lifestyle" diseases: obesity, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, adult-onset diabetes and cancer. Experts recommend at least three 30-minute aerobic workouts a week to reap these benefits. Anaerobic exercise develops strength and improves endurance. The benefits of sprints and high-intensity cardiovascular exercise carry over to your aerobic workouts, letting you burn more calories by working out longer and harder. Lifting weights not only gives you a strong, toned body now but offsets the loss of muscle mass that occurs naturally as we age. Greater muscle mass also increases your metabolism so you burn more calories even at rest.

Warning
Anaerobic training is by its nature very intense. Doing too much too soon can lead to injury or overtraining. Symptoms of overtraining include fatigue, sleep problems and increased vulnerability to infection. New exercisers should build a fitness base with three 30-minute aerobic workouts. See your doctor before adding strenuous anaerobic activities.

How to Increase Cardiorespiratory Endurance

How to Increase Cardiorespiratory Endurance
The cardiorespiratory system is responsible for transporting oxygen throughout your body, cleaning out waste and carrying vital nutrients to your organs. By increasing your cardiorespiratory endurance, you strengthen your heart's ability to supply oxygen to the rest of your body. In addition, your lungs and muscles will benefit.

Instructions
1
Perform an aerobic exercise at least three times a week, while maintaining your target heart rate for approximately twenty minutes each time.

2
Figure your target heart rate by subtracting your age from 220, then dividing that number in half. That's the lower number of your target heart rate. Then take your original number and multiply it by .075 to determine the upper number of your target heart rate.

3
Count your heart rate during aerobic exercise by placing your fingers along the front of your throat, just to the outside of your Adam's apple.

4
Determine your maximum oxygen consumption capacity (VO2max) when you're trying to increase your cardiorespiratory endurance. Calculated by recording the distance of the run and the time it takes to complete it, your VO2max indicates your overall cardio health. (See Resources below.)

5
Increase your swim sessions. As a non-impact aerobic exercise, swimming strengthens your cardiorespiratory endurance without risking joint injury.

6
Control body fat by increasing your cardiorespiratory endurance. As you expend more energy daily, your metabolic rate will also increase and you'll burn fat more effectively.

7
Supplement your diet with foods rich in antioxidant to enhance your cardiorespiratory health by reducing free radicals in your bloodstream.

Tips on Starting to Exercise

Tips on Starting to Exercise
A 2009 Gallup poll found that only 27 percent of Americans are getting the American Heart Association's recommended 150 minutes of exercise per week. Fortunately, it's never too late or early to reap the benefits of regular exercise. When you're first starting to exercise, take it slow to build stamina, reduce injuries and improve the likelihood that you will continue exercising. As with any lifestyle change, consult your doctor before embarking on a fitness routine.

Warm-Up and Cool-Down
Wear loose-fitting comfortable clothing and supportive shoes. Before exercising, warm-up for five minutes to slowly increase your heart rate and warm your muscles. A warm-up may include slow walking, marching in place or other low-impact exercises. Follow your workout with an additional five minutes of light physical activity and stretching to slow your heart rate and breathing.

Cardiovascular Exercise
The American Heart Association suggests exercising at a moderate pace for a minimum of 150 minutes per week or 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Beginning cardiovascular exercises may include walking, swimming, biking, dancing and light jogging. The exercise does not have to be done in one session. Breaking your cardiovascular routine into 10 or 15-minute intervals offers the same health benefits and helps beginners build stamina. Gradually increase the duration as you adjust to your new routine.


Strength Training
Strength training helps strengthen bones, builds muscle and increases the burning of calories. The National Institute on Aging recommends strength training all major muscle groups at least twice a week. Use weights that are hard for you to lift, but not so had that you cannot do eight repetitions of a given exercise. Avoid weight training the same muscle group two days in a row. Your muscles need time to repair after strength training. Strength and Conditioning Specialist Stew Smith recommends a stretching routine during your first week of exercise, progressing to calisthenics and light weight training during week two.

Motivation
Set weekly or monthly fitness goals and track your progress. If your goal is overall health, gradually increase the duration of your exercise routine. If strength is your goal, track increased weight and repetitions. Calculate weight loss progress by your weight and measurements. However, avoid weighing yourself more than once a week as your weight fluctuates and daily weight changes are not indicative of progress.

Warnings
Exercise should not hurt. Mild soreness after weight training may occur but any exercise that causes sharp or continuous pain should be discontinued and your doctor should be consulted. Additionally, you should be able to carry on a conversation during cardiovascular exercise. The goal is to elevate your heart rate and breathing gradually.

How to Plan an On & Off Workout Schedule

A lot of workouts are characterized by on and off days. This is generally called a split schedule that has you focusing on different body parts each workout with proper rest in between for full recovery. There are several approaches to take with this workout style. The most important thing to remember is to be organized.

Instructions
The Master Plan
1
Keep a journal. This can be something as simple as a notebook or notepad that fits in your back pocket. Write down your workouts, which muscles you are working, what weights you are using, the repetitions, the sets and the length of your workout.

2
Figure out your goals. Be specific about what you want to do. Ask yourself "Do I want to lose weight? Do I want to put on mass? Do I want to get ripped? Do I want to be able to touch my toes?" Then write these goals down in your journal.


3
Figure out how much time you have to work out. Figure out what days and times you are going to be able to work out. Write them down in your journal. For example, if you are trying to lose weight and want to go to the gym six days a week, with one day off, write it down.

4
Decide what muscle groups you are going to work on. Now that you have your goals and you know what times and days you will work out, write down your workouts. For example if you are doing an upper body split routine consisting of opposing muscle groups like chest and back and triceps and biceps, you may write out your workout like this: chest and back on Monday, triceps and biceps on Tuesday, off Wednesday, chest and back on Thursday, triceps and biceps on Friday, off Saturday, cardio on Sunday. This is a five day on, two day off routine.

5
Set weekly goals. At the end of each week, write down the next week's goals. Include the specific days and times of your workouts and what workouts you will do. Treat these workout appointments just like any other appointment you would go to such as the dentist or doctor.

New Cancer 'Smart Bomb' Offers Less Toxic Treatment

A new, less toxic form of cancer drug is offering hope to patients. 

For a generation, chemotherapy drugs have had a dramatic impact on many patients, causing hair loss, loss of fingernails and other side effects. 

But now an experimental treatment, in which the drug Herceptin and a chemotherapy agent are attached to each other to neutralise the toxic part of the medicine is producing encouraging results. 

One woman, Fern Saitowitz, who has advanced breast cancer, switched to the new treatment and found the side effects much less distressing. Using the traditional treatment, Ms Saitowitz’ hair fell out, her fingernails turned black and she was constantly tired. With the new treatment, she only experienced mild nausea and muscle cramps.  

“I’m able to live a normal life,” said Ms. Saitowitz, 47, a mother of two young children in Los Angeles. “I haven’t lost any of my hair.”

The experimental treatment is called T-DM1 and is being heralded as the pioneer in a new form of cancer drug that may be more effective and less toxic at the same time. 

The drug uses antiodies to deliver a ‘toxic payload’ to cancer cells, but spares healthy cells. It’s being called a ‘magic bullet’ for the disease which kills millions each year. 

“It’s almost like we’re masking the chemotherapy,” said Dr. Edith Perez, a breast cancer specialist at the world famous Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. 

Another scientist compared the treatment to ‘smart bombs’ with the antibodies passing through the bloodstream but only sticking to cells with the right target on them. 

“These are like floating sea mines,” said K. Dane Wittrup, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at MIT the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “But when they end up in a particular harbor, they blow up.” Dr Wittrup estimated that less than 1 percent of the drug actually makes it to the tumor.

New Snake Robots Are Future of Surgery

The shape of medicine to come has been revealed - and it looks a lot like a snake! 

Doctors in the US have revealed the latest instruments they can use for operations are tiny snake-shaped robotic instruments that are armed with sharp tools and scissors and are capable of coiling their way through the human body. 

The snakes are already being used to perform heart, prostate cancer and other organ operations. 

At the moment the ‘snakebots’ as they are referred to, are attached to a control box, but in future they will be operated wirelessly and move freely around the body, it’s predicted. 

‘It won't be very long before we have robots that are nanobots, meaning they will actually be inside the body without tethers,’ said Dr. Michael Argenziano, the Chief of Adult Cardiac Surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center in New York where the snakebots have been trialled. 

Argenziano is a pioneer in this kind of advanced surgery was involved with some of the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration clinical trials on robotic heart surgery more than a decade ago. He reckons robots will give surgeons a whole new world of possibilities.

‘It's like the ability to have little hands inside the patients, as if the surgeon had been shrunken, and was working on the heart valve,’ he said. 

While some may worry that their health may soon lay in the hands of cyborgs, Argenziano thinks the opposite. He says the robots will enhance rather than take away from the traditional role of the surgeon in performing complex surgery. 

‘The robot is a tool. It is no different in that sense than a scalpel. It's really a master-slave device,’ he said.

Muscular Strength & Endurance Exercises

Muscular Strength & Endurance Exercises
There are a number of ways to engage in exercises to increase muscle strength and endurance. Which one is appropriate will depend on the facilities you have available and your fitness goals. For people who simply want to increase strength and endurance without bulking up, swimming, circuit training or free weights can be appropriate. People wanting to increase muscle bulk will want to focus on circuit training or free weights.

Swimming
Swimming is a good way to increase muscle strength and endurance. Because swimming is a low-impact exercise that works almost all muscle groups in the body gently, there is very little increase in muscle size. By working up to between 1,000 and 2,000 meters per session and varying the swimming strokes, different muscle groups can be emphasized. The nature of swimming as exercise means that both red muscle tissue and white muscle tissue are exercised. Results from swimming can seem slower, but once they appear, they are longer lasting than other forms of exercise.

Fitness Machine Circuit Training
For strength and endurance training, your desired results will define how you perform circuit training. If you are more interested in muscle endurance and strength, but do not want to bulk up, exercises in the machine circuit should be done using lower resistances with either more repetitions per machine or, if the machine supports this, much slower repetitions. Slowing the repetitions is a good way to increase muscle strength while minimizing mass increase.

If you are looking for both strength and endurance along with body building, using heavier weights with fewer repetitions will give you good results.



Free Weight Training
Free weights are probably the most flexible workout system available. Like fitness machine circuit training, how you work out on free weights will depend on what results you desire. Working with light weights, but performing the repetitions very slowly, will give you the best strength and endurance training routine while minimizing muscle size increase. Another good way to achieve similar results is with light weights but with more repetitions that are performed faster.

Body building with increases in strength and endurance is, like with machine circuit training, done with heavier weights and fewer repetitions.

Home Exercises without Equipment
Home exercises can also be good for strength and endurance training. Simple exercises that require no equipment can include sit-ups, crunches, push-ups and pull-ups. The trick to increasing strength and endurance is to do these exercises slowly to allow the burning sensations in your muscles to build up. By performing these exercises slowly, you allow strength and endurance to increase while minimizing increases in muscle bulk.

Cardio Exercise Definition

Cardio Exercise Definition

Cardiovascular exercise, also called cardio or aerobic exercise, is physical activity which raises the heart rate to around 60 to 85 percent of the heart's maximum heart rate for an extended period of time, usually twenty minutes or longer. A sudden strenuous activity, such as lifting heavy weights may raise the rate to this range temporarily, but it is not considered cardiovascular exercise unless the elevated heart rate is sustained.


Aerobic Exercise
Cardiovascular exercise is called aerobic exercise because aerobic means "with oxygen." When the muscles are engaged for a long period of time, they demand oxygen from the blood in order to continue working. The heart rate rises and the lungs pump harder and faster to meet the demands for oxygen over an extended period of time. When muscles are engaged very intensely, the heart is not able to supply oxygen fast enough so the activity cannot be sustained. These kinds of activities are known as anaerobic activities.

Types of Cardio Exercise
Any form of exercise can be considered cardio exercise if it raises the heart rate sufficiently and can be sustained for long periods of time. Often normal activities such as walking or climbing stairs can be turned into cardio exercises if they are done intensely. Typically cardio exercise involves engaging major muscle groups which require a large amount of oxygen, such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, chest and arms. Running, swimming and bicycling are typical cardio exercises, though a wide range of activities, such as yoga, basketball or even sexual activity can constitute cardio exercise.

Heart Health
Cardio exercise is one of the most beneficial activities you can take part in to promote heart health. The purpose of the heart is to pump blood through the body and supply oxygen to the muscles, brain and other bodily tissues. When the heart is worked at an elevated rate during cardio exercise, it responds by become stronger over time to compensate for the strain. As the heart strengthens, it does not need to work as hard during rest to supply oxygen to the body, and resting heart rates fall. This reduces the chances of heart attack and other conditions associated with heart disease.

Weight Loss
Another important benefit of cardiovascular exercise is that it creates a sustained calorie burn. As the muscles work, they burn calories; some of the calories they use come from the food you eat, but if you do sufficient cardio exercise, your body will begin to burn fat for additional energy. This can reduce the buildup of body fat on the body and promote weight loss. Losing weight through cardio exercise is much healthier than losing weight through dieting alone, since rigid low calorie diets can lead to decreased muscle mass and weakness.

Other Benefits
Cardio exercise has many other benefits besides promoting weight loss and heart health. Cardio fitness often leads to an increase in libido and overall energy levels. Working out can also reduce stress and increase mental acuity. For many people physical activity increases self esteem and self image.

Live Long And Prosper

It is often said that only two things are certain in life. Death and taxes. But there is some good news. Although we can say with certainty that as we get older death becomes more likely...once you reach 110 the odds plateau out.
OK, it’s still at 50 per cent, but you get the picture. Because the truth is we are living a lot longer.

Where once it used to be said that 70 was the new 50, now it’s being claimed that 90 is the new 70. In fact in Western Europe and North America life expectancies have been increasing at a steady rate thanks first to diet and lifestyle and just as importantly medication.
But while lifestyle and medical intervention can make an enormous difference to when we get the type of diseases that are associated with old age, such asdementia and heart disease, we cannot yet stop them happening.
As scientists put it we are merely postponing the event. In addition, some people are vulnerable to ill health than others but because of greater life expectancy will have to live with it for longer.
All of which is raising some of the key issues of the day, not least about the age of retirement and the need for an improved lifestyle to offer yourself greater protection.
Many experts now argue that there is still more that can be done on the medical front to protect people against diseases. They say early action will ultimately save a fortune in unnecessary health care costs.
Take two common diseases that are often underestimated. Influenza and shingles. Some doctors claim that people aged 50 and above should be routinely vaccinated against both.
They say that people who contract either, or even worse both, can suffer long term health problems that require expensive treatment, sometimes in hospital.
They argue that if safe vaccines exist then why not use them to protect the general population against a range of complications including heart and lung damage. Shingles in particular can be extremely painful and debilitating for victims.
But critics say that this plays into the hands of drug companies who want to make money and that many people are not convinced that vaccines are totally safe, despite drug companies saying they are tested and meet all regulations.

Fresh Fears Over Sleeping Pills

New fears have emerged over the use of the most commonly prescribed sleeping pills after they were linked to premature deaths.
The tablets, including zolpidem and temazepam are used by millions of people throughout the Western world.
The study was carried out by American researchers and released in a British publication, the BMJ open.
People who took as few as 18 pills a year were at three and half times the risk of premature death. While the study is alarming for those who suffer sleep problems and use pills from time to time, the research is in early stages. It is possible that the higher death rates are because people on the medication had serious underlying health problems.

Anyone who is concerned is advised to speak to health care practitioner but the study has reopened the debate about how to deal with insomnia.
Anyone who is having serious problems with sleep should always seek expert medical advice to check if there is an underlying problem. There are also some excellent resources online that can be used as check list.
But the following tips have been proven to be successful with many people. As with many things, the important thing is to see what works best for you.
Many doctors increasingly argue that the best results come from usingCognitive Behaviour Therapy. This is often recommended after a month of problems or more.
This is a specialised therapy and should only be carried out by professionally trained specialists.

Among other things CBT looks to build relaxation techniques and teaches you to associate the bedroom with sleeping.

While CBT is very effective there are some other simple techniques that people can try.

• Make sure your bedroom is dark and quiet
• Stick to a regular schedule for going to bed and getting up.
• Limit stimulants like caffeine and alcohol
• Don’t go for a run or a work out just before bed time.
• Don’t watch TV in the bedroom, read a book instead.
• Remember the bedroom is just for sleep or sex.
• If you are restless, don’t lie there, get up and have a bath or read quietly.
• Try aromatherapy. Some people swear by a few drops of lavender on the pillow.

It Really Is Mind Over Matter

It seems that the old belief that some illnesses are a question of 'mind over matter' really does mean something. Scientists have long been fascinated by the placebo effect and the way it can play a powerful role in controlling pain and illness.

Medical studies have shown how effective placebos during drug trials when people are led to believe they are taking something that will make them better.
Now German scientists have uncovered what may lie at the heart of this remarkable effect.
Researchers in Hamburg have discovered that placebos may work because they have an effect of blocking signals from the spinal cord to the brain.
The research suggests that when people think a treatment is going to be effective this triggers a response from the part of the brain that deals with pain control. Signals trigger a release of endorphins which flood the the spinal cord with instructions to suppress pain signals.
The effect is similar to that caused by drugs such as morphine and suggests that brain activity triggers a physiological response. The study now shows the way in which the mind over matter does work, at least when it comes to the human body.
The new research supports the view of people who argue that more should be done to enhance the bodies natural powers to heal and prevent pain.
Some have taken this to extremes by demonstrating how an operation can be carried out on a hypnotised patient without the need for powerful anaesthetics. More prosaically, researchers are also working on how patients with long term conditions can work on distraction techniques to help them overcome pain.
The new research also comes after a series of findings which appear to undermine claims that anti-depressants are an effective treatment. Family doctors report that many patients report feeling better within days of taking the medication, when it fact it takes weeks to fully kick in.
This underlines another accepted truism;that what you think will do you good, does do you good.
But now science is starting to find out why this works and the irony is that drug companies are already looking to see if it can provide clues for the next generation of pain killers.

Robotic Implants To Solve Health Problems

It sounds like the stuff of science fiction -miniaturised robots that travel round the body sorting out health issues.
The cult 60’s movie Fantastic Voyage imagined a world where people and submarines would somehow get shrunk down until they were tiny enough to be injected into the bloodstream and remove clots.
That day is still very far into the future, if at all. But robotic technology is much closer than you might imagine. Scientists have been able to create tiny implants for some time but until now they had to be stationary devices because there was no way of powering them.

Up to now the only tiny batteries available are still relatively large compared to the function of the device and would need to be constantly replaced as they ran down. As well as reliability issues there were safety issues to be overcome for something going inside the human body.
Now American scientists have demonstrated they have found a way around this problem. Engineers with Stanford University have come up with a way of powering miniature devices from outside the body using wireless technology. Major trials are now underway for a detailed evaluation but significant steps have been made already.
Early plans imagine a tiny robot that would travel through arteries and veins to provide vital diagnostic information or even carry out localised procedures.

The Stanford breakthrough has been led by electrical engineer Ada Poon, among the possible actions that tiny robots could carry out would include improved pacemakers. Current ones have to give up a lot of room for batteries which need replacing, which is uncomfortable for patients. But other options being looked at include ear implants and blood pressure sensors, promising microscopic control.
Over time scientists see the devices moving on to disintegrate blood clotsand destroy blood platelet build up. The possibilities will be endless.

It's True - Your Boss Can Make You Sick

We all know that an aggressive boss can make our lives miserable. But French scientists have discovered that not only can a bad boss destroy you at work he can ruin your personal life as well.

Previously, Swedish researchers had established that people who were bullied by the bosses were at much higher risk of heart disease.
Now scientists have established that people with the worst bosses take their problems home with them and end up rowing, or even fighting, with their partners.
Employees said that the biggest difficulties came from managers who had unrealistic expectations or were constantly critical of the work that was done.
Here is a quick checklist for those who find themselves in the most stressful situations.
- Quit. This is the most extreme option and should not be done on the spur of the moment. But if you feel your physical and/or mental health is being undermined then leave. But there are a few steps you should consider before this drastic action.
- Start practising yoga or meditation. Some people find this a great way to let go of stress. Or take up a hobby. Devoting time to something you really enjoy has a similar effect to meditation. And you never know, taking up a creative hobby like writing or painting might lead to a new career.
- Within the workplace itself consider if moving to a different departmentwould help. You will need to come up with a good reason like “you need a fresh challenge” and not “I can’t stand my boss.”
- Try to reason with your boss. If you have an appraisal then this is an ideal opportunity. But you have to be constructive. Take the opportunity to talk about what extra value you can bring and how you can help your boss do better.
- Talk to your HR department. You should only take this step if you are one step from quitting. If your boss has a good relationship with the HR team you will find yourself in conflict.
- Find a new job. This is often the best option for those having a really bad time. Take your time, and when the right opportunity comes leap at it. Often a new environment makes all the difference.