Cardio- What To Do? Part 3

Welcome to 5.14 fitness, 

Today I will be carrying on a series of posts about Cardio and the different ways to do it.

Almost every sport has cardio implemented, whether it is running in football or swimming in water polo. This cardio is key in order to become a healthier, fitter and thinner person. It is important that Cardio is done ,as without it, a good measure of health can not be achieved. Sport is the perfect way to do Cardio, but there is other ways that can sometimes be more effective ( Jogging for example). The important rule here is: Cardio is key. Aerobically exercising : Getting your heart rate up, sweating and breathing like hell is important for us! Today I will be writing about Cycling and swimming.

Swimming 

Cardiovascular exercise refers to the kind of workout that gets your blood pumping, raises your heart rate, boosts your lung capacity and burns calories. Swimming achieves all four of these with the added benefit of weightlessness that reduces impact on your joints. Cardiovascular exercise is only as good as the effort you put into it. Finding the appropriate pace while swimming can ensure maximum cardiovascular benefits.


Swimming can not feel like much of a workout whilst performing it, due to the fact it makes you pretty weightless and you move quite fast without much force. However, the movement you go through to propel yourself forward during front stroke and backstroke requires energy from your muscles and this means your body  sends more oxygen and blood  to your tissues. In other words, your heart pumps faster, which in Cardio is always a good sign that you are burning calories and getting fit. You burn about 240 calories per 30 minutes swimming, which isn't bad at all. 

Swimming is something that you can do quite easily. Either go to your nearest pool or utilise the earth by going to the sea or a lake. Although this might cost money and be cold, it would be effective if you want to train for a triathlon or some kind of swimming event. Getting into swimming could be something that benefits you as you could discover a real talent and compete in events. The world is your oyster! 

Cycling

Cycling is much like running, so be sure to check the previous post about that. Cycling is something, I admit, that I do not really do at all. I am not very good on a bike, and so I am writing this not on experience. However, I do have a cousin who is a cycling enthusiast, he competes in competitions and trains every day with expensive gear. From what I can clearly see from him, cycling is something that comes with great enjoyment. Getting on your bike and cycling through the countryside is something that can be very peaceful and satisfying. The wind on your face and the places you can go is appealing for many. Unlike running, Cycling can get you places and you can visit towns and city's during your cardio.


In terms of cardio, Cycling is very effective. Not only does it get your heart beating, it also really strengthens the muscles in your legs. As you can feel, your muscles ache when cycling, but this might hinder how effective the workout is in terms of weight loss. If your muscles get tired quick, you will go slower and thus not burn as many calories. Despite this, you will still burn a lot and become a much stronger person. 
Cycling only requires a bike and  helmet, but you can buy gear like clothes and accessories to make your ride more successful. Apps like Strava can log your workouts and activity, and gadgets can track your rides to precision. Overall, Cycling is a very effective form of Cardio.    

Thank for reading, please follow and like (we will like and follow back) . Thanks again and peace!   

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Injuries Part 2

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,
 
I apologies for how long it has taken me to produce this post, however we are in the process of making a lot of changes to our house and this is what has occupied the majority of my free time recently. It may be another week or so until posts can become more frequent again but when we get the chance to upload we will.


Cuts 

Cuts are also a form of soft tissue skin damage these happen due to a collision with others or with sharp objects; this could happen during a tackle of if you fall over and make contact with the ground. It will leave a mark on the surface of the skin and start to bleed, the cut should be cleaned and dressed with a plaster or bandage if it seems to get infected visit the hospital or doctor. We can try to avoid these if we remove jewellery, check to make sure equipment is safe and wear protective garments. This happens in sports such as football, rugby and cricket

Bruises

Bruises are a form of soft tissue skin damage and are obtained by making contact with the ground, other players or equipment. This is likely to be by whilst making a tackle or interception (in contact sport) or getting hit by equipment (e.g. racket sports). The impact damages the blood vessels beneath the skin causing the surface to turn blue/purple to yellow/green. We can treat this by applying ice to reduce the swelling. To avoid bruises we should wear protection (e.g. shin pads) or avoid collisions but this is not always possible in sports like rugby.

Fractures

Fractures are what we commonly known as broken bones they happen when the bone is subject to a large force or impact stronger then the bone itself. There are many types of fracture including: compound, simple, greenstick and stress. You might have a fracture if you are experiencing pain, bruising and swelling. The best way to treat a fracture is using the RICEM method, however you may also need to see a doctor so they could potentially apply a cast/sling or prescribe a form of pain relief. To avoid getting a fracture you should try to make as little impact with the ground or equipment as possible, but this is often unavoidable in contact sports such as sumo wrestling, in these sports it is important to wear all the protective items encouraged by the sport.

Dislocations

Dislocations are when the bones in a joint are knocked/moved out of place, often in the shoulder and knee. This injury is caused by a fall of knock to the joint; this could be falling off a trampoline and putting your arms out in front of you to break your fall, this could dislocate your shoulder. This is a very painful injury ( other symptoms could include swelling and joints not functioning normally) and would need to be put back into place and then apply the RICE method . This type of injury is hard to avoid but you could wear protective gear on the joints to reduce the impact on the area. This happens in sports such as gymnastics, volleyball and basketball

Abrasions

Abrasions/grazes are soft tissue skin damage and are caused when skin rubs against a rough surface; this could be due to a fall or slide tackle due to the friction on the ground. The injury comes up on the surface of the skin as the top layer of skin is removed, this can be painful at the time of the injury and dirt can get into the injury causing infection. To avoid this it should be cleaned and dressed as soon as possible, and to avoid the injury all together you should wear protective gear. To reduce swelling should apply ice and compression, but if it gets serious you should go to the hospital. Could happen in hockey or tennis

Ways to prevent injury in general include allowing the body time to have rest and recover, exercising and participating with tired or aching limbs are common way to get injured as they are no longer as elastic or flexible resulting in a loss of movement. Warming up properly is another way to avoid getting injured as muscle and tendons become more flexible but you are also more focused and alert, this all leads to greater movement. Wearing incorrect clothing can also lead to injuries for example in an F1 car you could not wear just a T shirt and shorts as they do not provide much protection from the hazards of the sport. Rules are put into sports in order to protect those taking part, like in football you have to wear shin pads in order to protect your legs and in rugby you cannot jump when someone comes in to a tackle as it is seemed to be dangerous. You also have to make sure you have the correct technique in your sport otherwise you could get injured this way, if you have the wrong technique when throwing a shot putt you could pull a muscle, if you have the wrong technique in pole vaulting you could break a bone from a fall.

Things that governing bodies of the sports try to prevent injury by making the competition balanced, they do this by trying to keep people that are in the same age category, similar weight and in the same gender. They do this to ensure the competition is as fair as possible so there is less chance of the participants getting injured. Equipment has to be checked to ensure it is safe to use and limit the amount of potential injuries, this could do things like putting padding on goal posts to stop people getting hurt from running into them and making sure the studs on football boots aren’t sharp so that they do not cut the opponents. Obstacles on the pitch such as litter which can cause injuries such as cuts or bruises if the participants make a collision with them. In addition the facilities also need to be checked to made sure there safe for use, for example if there are stones or glass on a volleyball court it would be deemed unsafe for use or if a football pitch is very muddy/wet or on a slope players could slide or slip which could again lead to an injury.


Thanks for 6000 views, make sure you keep checking out the blog and older posts etc, follow the blog and me, plus one everything and please comment ideas as well- work hard and peace!






Jason

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Cardio - What to do? Part 2

Welcome to 5.14 fitness,

Today I will be carrying on a series of posts about Cardio and the different ways to do it.

Almost every sport has cardio implemented, whether it is running in football or swimming in water polo. This cardio is key in order to become a healthier, fitter and thinner person. It is important that Cardio is done ,as without it, a good measure of health can not be achieved. Sport is the perfect way to do Cardio, but there is other ways that can sometimes be more effective ( Jogging for example). The important rule here is: Cardio is key. Aerobically exercising : Getting your heart rate up, sweating and breathing like hell is important for us! Today I will be writing about  2 ways- Walking and Running 

Walking

Walking is the easiest of the three and also the most relaxing for most people. Walking is something that does not produce the best results as it does not have nearly as much intensity as running or cycling. Walking does little to raise your heart beat and wont make you lose weight as fast as other methods. However, Walking is easy and anybody can do it. Walking is integrated into our lives; we walk to get places and do work. Walking burns calories as it is engaging you muscles and is a form of exercise. Albeit not the most effective form, but nevertheless a form. 


Walking can be done easily- just get out the house and go for a stroll. If you can, walk the fastest speed possible as this will burn the most calories. Walk to the gym, or the park, or your friends house. Whatever the reason, walking at a speed is a good thing and is the perfect choice of exercise if you are incapable of strenuous activity. For example, if you are elderly, a walk can not only make you fitter but make you a lot healthier too! 

Running

Running is the most well known and an extremely good form of cardio. Running gets your heart rate up quickly and there is not many better ways to lose weight and get fit. Running only requires yourself and space, and I am sure there is plenty of space right outside your door. Whether, like most people , you get up early to run around your neighbourhood or you go for a late night jog, running is always going to be considered the go-to for cardio. 

Because of its popularity, Running has never been more amazing. There is a whole host of apps that can map your run, give you results and data, and pretty much make running as fun and effective as possible. For more information, look over some previous posts about apps like Strava and Google fit. 
There is a wide range of electronic gear to track your run and heart rate, as well as stylish clothing that makes running more comfortable. Wristbands like Fitbit track your sleep patterns also to extend the benefits of your run.  This form of cardio is perfect for those who do not have space and want results. It can be hard, yet is worth all the sweat and pain. Motivation is just a click away, there is a host of websites with helpful motivating features to encourage your run. With running, there is no excuses:  you can find the most unfit people running down your street sometimes. Whoever you are, Running , Jogging , sprinting or whatever you want to call it is just a few steps away...

Thank for reading, please follow and like (we will like and follow back) . Thanks again and peace!   

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Injuries Part 1 (5000 views !)

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,








So about a month and a half ago, I released a post thank you all for 3000 views of the blog, well within the 5 days prior to this post we managed to smash 5000 views! To put this in to context, we managed 2000 in less than 2 months. This is absolutely mental and we are so grateful to all the supporters of this blog. Our most viewed post has around 55 on its own, we still have 10 people who have added the blog to their reading list, this is great but if there is an area we need to improve it would be here, on Google plus my page has roughly 160 followers which is great and over 235,000 views again more following is to be targeted but we can hardly complain.




This post is not entirely a landmark post, as I know that a lot of readers prefer actual content posts so I am also adding a new back to basics post to this on injuries it should have 2 parts to this post, second past to be released a later date.




Strains

Strains are a form of soft tissue injury that we commonly get due to overstretching our muscles, when we either twist or wrench the muscle aggressively/awkwardly/too far. As a result of straining the muscle this area is likely to become weakened and stands a chance of becoming a reoccurring issue. You are more likely to avoid strains if you warm up properly to ensure muscles are elastic and limber, however if, during your activity your muscles contract and relax quickly and repeatedly strains become difficult to miss. To treat this type of injury you would apply the RICEM method, Rest Ice Compression Elevation Movement, and if it does not seem to get better after a long rest time visit a doctor.

Sprains

Sprains are another form of soft tissue injury but this time effecting joints rather than muscles (strains). This happens when ankle or wrist joints are twisted suddenly, this could be whilst changing direction or landing heavily. This tears the ligament (attaches muscles to bones)at the joint , sprains can sometimes be avoided by strengthening that area by weight training ,more exercise targeting this area or more vitamin D and calcium which strengthens bones and joints. To treat this type of injury you would apply the RICEM method, Rest Ice Compression Elevation Movement, and if it does not seem to get better after a long rest time visit a doctor.

Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow is an injury that we get from overusing the elbow joint, the tendons become weak from overuse. This injury often occurs from playing too much tennis (hence the name) but could be from any racket sport or activity similar, often by using an incorrectly sized racket, leaving you with an inflamed and sore elbow. You are more likely to avoid this injury if moderate the amount of time you spend playing the sport and by making sure the equipment you are using is the correct size. To treat this type of injury you would apply the RICEM method, Rest Ice Compression Elevation Movement, and if it does not seem to get better after a long rest time visit a doctor.

to be continued.....


Thanks for 5000 views next landmark being 10,000 so make sure you keep checking out the blog and older posts etc, follow the blog and me, plus one everything and please comment ideas as well- work hard and peace!




Jason

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