FitSugar

5 Foods That Nourish Muscles

FitSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -0700

Your muscles are constantly working for you, so feed them well. Muscles mass is essential to good health and the more muscle on your body, the more calories you burn daily. Here are some suggestions from MSNBC on foods to help you maximize your muscle power.

Source

View Slideshow ›

How Much Do You Know About Muscles?

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:00:00 -0700

Your muscles are most likely one of the main reasons you visit FitSugar, but how much do you really know about them (other than the fact that you want them to be "toned")? Test your smarts with this little muscle quiz.

Source

Take the quiz

You Asked: Will My Muscles Ever Stop Feeling Sore?

FitSugar — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:45:00 -0700

You're asking and I'm answering . . .

"Dear Fit,
I have been working out every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday for over a month now. I take a strenuous yoga class on Mondays, run or swim on Wednesdays, and I lift weights on Saturday mornings. The day after my workouts, my muscles are really sore. I thought this would go away after the first week. Will I ever stop feeling sore?"
-Sore Sally

It's great that you are including cardio, strength training, and flexibility training in your workouts, but since you're doing them all on different days, you're working different muscle groups each time you work out. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but it's the cause of your soreness.

If being sore bothers you, you may want to think about changing how you work out. Instead of doing each type of workout on different days, one option is to try incorporating all three - cardio, flexibility training, and strength training - on each day that you workout. Do 30 minutes of cardio (running, biking, walking, etc.), then do 20 minutes of stretching, and then another 20 minutes of strength training. That way you're using all your muscle groups on each day, which will make them stronger so they'll be less likely to be sore the next day. Another option is to work out more often, instead of skipping days, try to do a little exercise five to seven days a week. If none of this helps, you may be pushing yourself too hard in your workouts, so toning it down a little can help prevent soreness as well.

Source

You Asked: Muscles, Muscles, Muscles

FitSugar — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 08:45:00 -0800

You're asking and I'm answering.

Hey Fit!
I'd LOVE if you'd do a post about muscle. How long/how much work it takes to build, how long before it atrophies, how many calories it ACTUALLY burns?
I'm really curious and eager for some plain English answers!
Love ya Fit!
– Wanting More on Muscles

So many questions about muscle and all of them great. First off, there are many factors at play when building muscle like diet (what you eat), metabolism (how quickly your body turns what you eat into energy) and age (around age 35 both men and women start to lose muscle mass and have to work harder to keep it and build it). A study performed on overweight men who were new to weight lifting might help explain how long it takes to build muscle. The men performed strength training 3 days a week, along with endurance exercise (aka cardio). After 14 weeks, the men averaged a weight loss of 16.3 pounds of fat and gained 9.5 pounds of muscle.

To build muscle you need to challenge it. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends doing strength training at least twice a week, but not on back to back days. You should do 8-10 exercises working the major muscle groups: legs, arms, back, abs, and glutes. You should perform 8-12 repetitions of each exercise using a weight that exhausts the muscle. If you can try for two sets of each exercise.

Want to hear the good news about atrophy? Well then, you are just going to have to read more.

Muscle atrophy is usually associated with injury or disease. However, disuse atrophy happens when you don't work your muscle and is unfortunately, common in our sedentary lives. However, when you stop training it takes longer to lose muscular strength than to lose cardiovascular fitness. In a study involving athletes, after taking 14 days off from training, none of the athletes lost any muscular strength.

Lastly, a pound of muscle burns about 35 to 50 calories a day where a pound of fat only burns about two calories per day. Talk about a reason to start adding strength training to your exercise routine!

Source

Favorite Excuse For Not Doing Yoga: I'm NOT Flexible

FitSugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 08:45:00 -0700

When people find out that I teach Pilates and yoga, they often immediately disclose the reasons they don't practice either exercise form. I hear this excuse most often, "I could never do yoga, I'm so inflexible. I can't even touch my toes."

This is not the first time I've heard this excuse, and I actually love that people confess this to me. It gives me a chance to explain that inflexibility is not an excuse, but rather a reason to do yoga.

Most people aren't naturally flexible, but doing yoga can increase your flexibility almost immediately. Even after just a few classes, you will begin to notice a change in your body. You just have to get over that mental block that tells you you can't do it, and you just have to try.

If you can commit to a couple of classes every week, I guarantee that your muscles will become longer and suppler. That's what is so great about yoga. Our bodies were made to move, and your muscles crave it. Not only does yoga relax your mind and reduce stress, but the increased flexibility you'll feel can alleviate chronic pain and prevent injury.

So go ahead and take a yoga class. It's like with any new thing you try, whether it be playing an instrument or running a marathon. That amazing sense of pride and accomplishment you feel can only come when you witness yourself improving. No one is instantly great in the beginning, but as you practice, you'll get better and better.

Source

Not Everyone is Naturally Flexible

FitSugar — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 07:30:00 -0700

When I took my first yoga class 7 years ago, my ego took a huge slap in the face. I went to fold forward, and I couldn't touch my toes - everyone could do it (really, even the old guys). Of course comparing yourself to others isn't the point when it comes to yoga (and can cause injury when you try to copy others), but I hadn't leaned that yet so I pushed myself really hard.

The teacher came up to me and whispered very sweetly, "These folks have been practicing for years. Everyone's body is different, so don't compare yourself to others. When they started, they couldn't touch their toes either. It takes time to open our muscles, so don't be so hard on yourself." I'll never forget that little pep talk and how much she inspired me. I started going 3 times a week, and I have to say that my flexibility improved very quickly. She was right, it just took time.

Some people tend to be naturally flexible (like contortionists), and others have to work hard to increase their flexibility. Just because you aren't flexible at the present moment, doesn't mean you'll never be. Your muscles, tendons and ligaments are screaming to be stretched regularly, and all you need to do is devote time every week to make it happen.

Want to hear some tips for increasing your flexibility, safely? Then read more

Only stretch when your muscles are warm. This will ensure that you don't pull a muscle. I love to stretch after a run because I'm all warmed up already. Plus stretching prevents soreness later.
Don't push yourself too hard. Know your own limit and listen to your body. If you try to stretch deeper, and you begin to feel pain or strain, back off.
Muscles are like chewing gum. When they are warm and stretched slowly, they'll respond much better. So move with complete awareness, and gently move deeper into poses.
Be consistent. In order to experience any progress in your flexibility, you must stretch regularly. This means you should stick to doing your stretching routine at least 3 times a week. You'll be surprised how soon you see your body changing.
Stay in yoga poses for a while. I'm not talking torturing yourself, but sometimes holding a pose for just 5 breaths might not be enough. Give your body a chance to settle into poses, especially ones that may be hard for you. I love to hold Pigeon pose, Butterfly, and Seated Straddle for at least 3 minutes. I feel so open and light afterwards.
Don't compare yourself to yourself. Just because you could touch your forehead to your knee in Head to Knee pose yesterday, doesn't mean your hamstrings will be psyched to do it today. Since your body changes everyday, just concentrate on the present moment and what your body is capable of doing right now.

Source

Test Your Muscle Smarts

FitSugar — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 11:45:00 -0700

Take the quiz

Which Type of Body Would You Rather Have?

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 03:00:00 -0700

I'm sure we are all striving to have healthy bodies, and to maintain a healthy weight for our height. I'm sure you also have a goal in mind for your body. You can be lean, and have toned muscles. Or you can take it a step further and have ripped 6-pack abs and defined muscles. So I want to know...

Source and Source

Working Out When Really Sore - Is It A Good Idea?

FitSugar — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 11:45:00 -0700

I'm one of those people who LOVES feeling sore the day after working out. I love to feel muscles I haven't felt in a long time - it makes me feel like I really worked it.

That sore feeling is normal, and it's caused by microscopic tears in your muscle fibers. When your body rebuilds the damaged muscles, they become even stronger.

If you've gone for a run yesterday, and today your thighs and butt are so sore that you have a hard time walking down stairs, then you probably want to skip out on running for the day. You want to give your muscles a chance to heal completely and properly, if you don't, you could end up injuring yourself.

That doesn't mean you have to skip out on exercising altogether. Take it down a notch and maybe go for a short walk or do some stretching - the light exercise will get your blood pumping and actually might help to relieve some of your discomfort. Or use this as a great opportunity to work some other muscle groups. Grab some weights and work your arms, or do some ab or booty strengthening exercises.

Fit's Tips: The main point here is to listen to your body, and do what you're comfortable with. Obviously if you are in a lot of pain, you want to rest your body. You can take an OTC anti-inflammatory such as Advil (ibuprofen) or Aleve (naproxen sodium/naprosyn). Or you can take arnica or rub Topricin on your sore muscles. If a muscle is extremely tender, you can also ice the area to reduce swelling and pain. On the other hand, if you are sore all over, taking a hot bath or getting a gentle massage might be the answer to your body's prayers.

Source

Get Your Butt in Gear: Adidas Powerweb

FitSugar — Thu, 31 May 2007 02:30:00 -0700

New gear from Adidas is cool enough that I think even geeksugar will be impressed.

The new Powerweb workout gear features a compression design that actually focuses your muscles for greater explosive power and long-term stamina. How so? Well the products are made to focus your muscles' energy to generate maximum explosive power, acceleration and long-term endurance. This happens by placing thermoplastic polyurethane bands anatomically throughout the garments to provide muscular support and reduce the amount of energy you expend. Shirts focus on the pecs, shoulders, back and core, while shorts support glutes and hamstrings. I am not loving the Spiderman look of it all, but I'd love to see how it works. You can buy Powerweb gear online at shopadidas.com. Prices start at $45 and go up from there.

View 6 Photos ›