Exercices pour les épaules et les bras pour préparer l’été

Les jours rallongent, le soleil brille : bientôt, nous ressortirons nos maillots de bains et nos tenues d’été. Mais il nous reste encore du temps pour perfectionner notre entraînement et nous dessiner une silhouette encore plus harmonieuse.

Pour l’obtenir, ce mois-ci, nous allons nous concentrer sur la tonification des épaules et des bras, parfois négligée dans les programmes d’entraînement, mais essentielle pour un corps bien entraîné dans son ensemble.
Voici deux exercices simples à effectuer avec la Wellness Ball et que vous pourrez faire tous les jours sans aucun problème.

Pour avoir des bras forts et toniques
L’exercice de base pour l’entraînement des membres supérieurs est la flexion des bras. Le faire avec la Wellness Ball est une variante qui rend l'exercice encore plus complet, car cela rajoute :
- l'instabilité du point d’appui, qui oblige à un travail plus important pour maintenir l'équilibre ;
- une plus grande hauteur des membres inférieurs par rapport au sol.

Exécution
1. Positionnez vos jambes à la hauteur de vos chevilles sur le ballon et posez les mains au sol à la hauteur des épaules, avec le corps tourné vers le bas. Maintenez les jambes et le buste alignés avec les bras tendus ;
2. Pliez les bras en rapprochant le corps du sol et en inspirant ;
3. Étendez les bras et revenez dans la position de départ en expirant.

Le mouvement de flexion des bras doit être effectué de manière contrôlée afin d’obtenir des bénéfices au cours des deux phases de l’exercice, à savoir la phase d'extension des bras (phase active) et celle de retour.
Si vous êtes débutant, répétez les flexions 8 à 12 fois pendant au moins 2 à 3 séries.
Si vous êtes déjà entraîné, répétez les flexions 10 à 15 fois pendant au moins 4 à 5 séries.

Pour maintenir les épaules en forme
Voici un exercice simple qui fait travailler les articulations des épaules de manière sûre et efficace.

Exécution
1. En position debout, soutenez la Wellness Ball avec les bras.

Obesity and sexuality

Obesity is in the line of fire again. A number of studies have shown that it damages the quality of sexuality in a variety of ways, both for men and women. Including erectile capacity.

These results have been confirmed by a number of researchers. At Duke University Medical Center (USA), for example, it has been found that obese persons suffer from lack of desire and pleasure, the tendency to avoid sexual activity and (don't say it too loud) low performance. Statistics also tell us that these problems can be up to 25 times worse than for persons of normal weight.

At the Center for Obesity Management, Second University (Naples) researcher Katherine Esposito subjected 110 obese men to a weight loss programme, of whom half followed an intense training schedule. After two years, subjects who had trained hardest and lost most weight got better erections than those who had trained less or not at all and lost less or no weight.

Again: a study run at Lancisi Hearth (Ancona) by Dr. Romualdo Belardinelli and his colleagues, shows that modest physical training can help to improve sexual function in cardiopathic men. This news may be welcome to men with erectile problems, since Viagra and similar drugs have hazardous contraindications in combination with the drugs prescribed for heart disease.

Let's take a closer look at the studies. The Duke study was presented to the North American Association for the Study of Obesity at Las Vegas. The researchers, Martin Binks, Ph.D. and Ronette Kolotkin, Ph.D., say that their study "shows a substantial difference between the quality of the sex lives of obese and normal weight persons. The quality of our sex lives is important to us all and with obesity currently on the rise, the number of people suffering from this problem is also increasing".

Binks and Kolotkin have developed a programme for the obese which emphasises lifestyle changes, promotes physical exercise and encourages healthy eating. In their experience, "even a modest loss of weight and improved physical condition make subjects feel 10-20 years younger sexually". Kolotkin has also developed a 31 point questionnaire ('Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite') which evaluates all weight-related aspects of quality of life.

CPR Function

When running or cycling, we often wonder: How fast do I have to go? How far can I push myself ?. In other words, we wonder precisely what training zone will provide us with all the benefits of the exercise without any risks. The advice we are frequently given is to work at between 60 and 80% of our theoretical maximum heart rate, which can be calculated by subtracting our age from 220 (220-age) = max HR (theoretical).

To solve the problem of not always knowing the appropriate workload, Technogym has patented the CPR device (Constant Pulse Rate), technology that revolutionized training methods in the Nineties and remains unsurpassed today.

Why CPR System?

When, from a sitting or stationary position, we stand up and start walking or exercising, we are lifting a load; our cardio-respiratory system (heart, lungs, blood vessels) has to work to deliver more energy to our muscles. This increases our heart rate. Heart rate is one of the most significant parameters for monitoring the physical condition of an individual during exercise. This value is related to a threshold, or maximum rate which is specific to each individual and which is linked specifically to age. This is why it is important to know our theoretical maximum heart rate (220 age).

Before the CPR system was introduced, adjustment of workload in cardiovascular equipment was mono-directional. Once manually set, the machine continued working without optimal feedback from the individual. Therefore, in the event the user was unable to deliver the work requested by the machine, there was a risk of creating an imbalance so severe as to limit the effectiveness of the training or even pose a threat to health. The aim of the CPR system is to avoid such undesirable circumstances through monitoring and real time redefinition of workload based on the heart rate selected for training. This makes it possible to exercise in a safe, effective manner.

CPR system

The CPR system is a system that allows interaction between the heart and the machine, thanks to a heart-rate monitor which measures the individuals heart rate and transmits it to the on-board software.

Exercise without dieting: a losing battle

When your pants begin to feel a little snug around the waistline, do you vow to start working out for an hour every day? If so, welcome to the club: You're a typical guy.

Women will try just about any approach to shedding pounds, weight-loss experts say, but men who set out to get slim tend to follow predictable patterns.

Consider a survey published in January by Packaged Facts, a market research firm, which found that 15.4% of women in the United States said they "mostly try to lose weight by dieting." Just 6.3% of men agreed with that statement. That's probably because males often assume - incorrectly - that they can burn fat in the gym, without changing their diets.

"Many men feel that exercise is an efficient way to lose weight. It is not," says Dr. Frank Greenway, medical director of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University. This belief seems to be particularly strong among middle-aged males who were athletes in high school or college, he says. They seem to think that if they can just get back to playing basketball three nights a week, the flab will melt away.

But Greenway, who is also medical advisor for the Jenny Craig weight-loss program, cites studies comparing dieters who don't exercise with dieters who work out. "They conclude that there is very little extra weight loss by the addition of exercise," says Greenway. "Diet is the most efficient way to lose weight." However, he's quick to add, "exercise is essential for keeping weight off, especially as we age".

Once a man realizes he can't sweat away his spare tire, what type of diet is he likely to choose? One that's, in a word, simple. The typical male hates asking for help, so he's far less likely than a woman to seek weight-loss counsel from a doctor or nutritionist, says psychologist Michael R. Lowe of Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Despite differing weight-reduction styles, men and women lose about the same amount of body fat when they diet. But both sexes are just as likely to pack pounds back on over time, says Lowe. The problem with diets, he adds, is that today's world is abundant with tempting foods that overwhelm our ability to "self-regulate" what we eat.

"If you want to control your weight, you have to gain mastery over the food you're exposed to," says Lowe.

Nutrition and athletic performance

The best training ensures the maximum physical output with the least exploitation of the body's resources. To achieve this it is important for the body to receive adequate nourishment so as to cooperate efficiently without physiological damage.

To obtain satisfactory performance, the diet is an essential factor, not only from the viewpoint of nutrition, but also from the functional and specific viewpoint depending on the type of sport practiced and the type of effort that has to be supported. The proper fuel for every engine, in other words.

There is no magic formula for everyone. Obviously, the ideal diet for an athlete is the one that satisfies the palate and at the same time ensures a complete variety of nutrients and an adequate quantity of liquids, but some foods more than others satisfy these requisites:

• A balanced diet for an athlete should consist of 60 per cent carbohydrates, preferably complex (the main source of energy for the muscles comes from carbohydrates, and it is released gradually, permitting continued efforts for prolonged periods). Grains are excellent, better if whole, and also starches and legumes.
• Proteins are important, especially those from white meat, fish, eggs and milk and derivatives, necessary to prevent the body from consuming the substances that make up the muscle tissues.
• Even fats are fundamental (better if of vegetable origin) because they produce the energy necessary in the final stages, in case of prolonged efforts that require strength: peanuts, almonds, walnuts, olive oil and soya are ideal.
• Isotonic beverages are recommended because they rehydrate the tissues and supply minerals and vitamins.
• Fruit and vegetables, especially when eaten fresh and raw so that none of the nourishing substances are lost, are natural sources of vitamins, mineral salts and fibre.
• The athlete's diet should always be light, and easy to digest and assimilate.
  Plus

Healthy Weight Tied To Healthy Brain

Doctors have new ammunition in their fight to get patients to slim down and eat vegetables: it isn't just good for the heart, it is good for the brain, too.

Researchers at a large international meeting of Alzheimer's disease experts unveiled a study yesterday that said being obese in middle age increases the risk of later developing dementia. Another study showed that eating green, leafy vegetables helps slow normal, age-related cognitive decline.

While scientists are hard at work on medicines to treat Alzheimer's, the medical community also is expending vast resources on prevention. About 4.5 million Americans have the brain-wasting disease, and that number is expected to surge to between 11.3 million and 16 million in 2050, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Current therapies are only slightly effective at slowing the memory-robbing progression of Alzheimer's.

In a study of about 2,000 people in Finland, those who had a body-mass index of more than 30, considered obese, when they were middle-aged had a 3.5 times greater risk of developing dementia than those of normal weight. Body-mass index takes into account factors such as height and weight. Researchers began studying people in 1972, so subjects were followed as they aged and either did or did not develop dementia. When researchers accounted for high blood pressure and high cholesterol -  both of which are risk factors for dementia - obesity alone still was linked to a higher risk.

Meanwhile, a study by researchers at Harvard Medical School showed that women who ate eight servings or more a week of green, leafy vegetables such as spinach and romaine lettuce had the cognitive function of someone 1.7 years younger than women who ate three servings or fewer of the vegetables a week. Women who ate vegetables such as broccoli and brussels sprouts were cognitively 1.3 years younger. Scientists hypothesized that fruits and vegetables may help prevent dementia because they are high in antioxidants such as vitamin C and folate. The study also looked at fruit consumption, but researchers found it had no effect on cognitive function.

The Harvard research used data from the Nurse's Health study, a wide-ranging study of more than 120,000 nurses.

Sugars: are they all the same?

Sugar, an essential source of fuel for the human body, is consumed and assimilated in many different forms. From a nutritional point of view, sugar belongs to the carbohydrate family, which can be divided into:

• polysaccharides or complex sugars such as bread, pasta, potatoes and rice;
• disaccharides such as sucrose (common table sugar) and maltose;
• monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose.

Between them, the three categories are diverse from both a chemical and nutritional point of view. Our diet must include all three, but often tends to be richest in those which are least beneficial to our health. So how do you distinguish foods containing 'good' sugar, which are suitable to eat, from 'bad' sugar, which should be avoided? This is where the Glycemic Index (GI) comes in.

The system ranks foods rich in carbohydrates based on their effect on the glycemia, in other words their ability to raise or lower blood sugar levels following consumption. For example, a low glycemic index of around 50 represents carbohydrates which are absorbed slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, whilst a high glycemic index of around 100 or higher indicates rapid absorption, and therefore high glycemic 'spikes'.

A sudden spike in glycemia stimulates the release of a hormone called insulin, which reduces blood glucose levels by forcing it to be stored in cells. Blood glucose levels may subsequently fall too low, thereby transmitting a message requesting more sugars and stimulating the desire to eat.

A carbohydrate-rich diet with a high glycemic index may therefore give rise to a damaging physiological mechanism which often leads to dietary disorders related to overweight and obesity.

It follows that high GI foods should be consumed in limited quantities.