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| Coffee and Exercise Performance |
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A 10-point guide on starting and maintaining an exercise programme.
Whether you are playing the occasional game of football with the children,
about to participate in your first “fun run”, or using exercise to help fight the
battle of the bulge, the way in which you become physically active and derive
benefit from it depends on a number of simple points.
1. Be patient. Don't try too much too soon and give yourself a chance to enjoy the
benefits of being fitter before thinking about giving it up.
2. If you have been inactive for several years, check with your doctor as to the
type of exercise that would best suit you.
3. Fitness is influenced by many factors including age, sex, heredity, exercise
and eating patterns. It is only the last two you can do anything about!
4. Whilst physical fitness primarily involves the heart, lungs and muscles, there
is inevitably an effect on our minds and fitness may also have benefits for
mental alertness.
5. If you are planning your exercise schedule, aim for a time when you are least
likely to be interrupted by work, family or other responsibilities.
6. The accumulated effect exercise throughout the day is what matters and all
types of activity help – from walking up the stairs, rather than using the
escalator, to taking a brisk walk during a lunch break. Research suggests that thirty
minutes of moderate physical activity a day could reduce the risk of many
chronic diseases.
7. Different types of exercise burn varying amounts of energy (as measured in
Calories)
| Activity |
Approx. Calories used (per 30 minutes) by person weighing 72 - 82 Kg (160 -180
pounds) |
| Aerobic Dancing |
500 – 530 |
| Cycling (outdoors) |
615 – 660 |
| Swimming |
460 - 490 |
| Gardening |
300 – 330 |
| Golf |
345 – 370 |
| Climbing stairs |
690 – 740 |
| Walking (at rate of 3.5 miles per hour) |
290 – 320 |
These are average figures only - those with a lighter body weight will use
fewer Calories and those with heavier body weight will use more.
8. The rules of healthy eating apply, however active you become. This means eating
a variety of foods each day – cereals, fruit, green and legume vegetables, lean
meat and dairy products. The best way to ensure plenty of energy for exercise is
to eat a nutritious balanced diet that is high in carbohydrate, modest in fat
content, and selected from a wide variety of foods
9. Fluids are also an important part of healthy eating and dehydration can limit
all of us, particularly when undertaking exercise. Water is the most important
fluid for active people but other drinks, such as coffee, have additional
benefits. Coffee can reduce the sensation of effort during exercise, so we feel less
tired when we stop. It also works for those undertaking exercise of a more
prolonged nature, such as long distance running or cycling, when it has been shown
to improve performance
10. As with everything else you do, dress for the occasion. Choose loose fitting
exercise clothes that are comfortable and allow freedom of movement and don't
forget, whatever the weather, it's a good idea to wear something on your head when
exercising outdoors
When exercise and fitness become as much part of your life as cleaning your
teeth, then the time and effort taken to get started the right way, will have been
worthwhile.
For further information, visit References
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